Attracting and Feeding Hummingbirds and Butterflies

[hummingbird]

I assume we are talking about the hummingbirds and not butterflies. I'd love to see one of your videos. Those swarms must be an amazing site to behold! I don't think I have ever seen more than one hummingbird at a time, even in California. I know it doesn't rain much in CA, but maybe if you collect the water when it does, you could help offset the drought a bit?

I do collect it. Here is one of my rain barrels. Love this thing! I just realized one of my videos is on YouTube. This is just a small fraction of the action, though. Many more outside of the lens the one up close was trying to feed out of my ear. Lol some pictures, too... (From my previous home)

 

[ChanellG]

...I just realized one of my videos is on YouTube...]

Wow, how awesome! Thanks for sharing!

 

[ChanellG]

The subject has just come up again with another thread where someone was asking about attracting hummingbirds. A friend just ordered the feeding tubes from Amazon and made hummingbird feeders from wine bottles. She brought me two this past week.

 

[KimmyMarkks]

This is good to know! I love butterflies. I know a lot of stores sell butterfly feeders, however I rather make the food myself.
I find that a lot of other birds eat the butterfly food I put out. Does this happen to anyone else?

 

[Esther Knapicius]

in the early spring, when my Virginia blue bells are blooming, the hummers just love them. Its then a sign for me that the hummers have arrived and I cook up some sugar water and hang out the feeder. and as far as butterflies, I find the Joe Pye weed gets their attention way more than a butterfly bush. And butterflies love phlox also. Oh, yes and my honeysuckle vine growing on my deck the hummers love it.

 

[Corzhens]

There are no hummingbirds here but there are lots of birds particularly the native ones called Maya - small house birds that are everywhere. To attract them, all we need to do is to spray the trees with water and they would be coming to feast on the water on the leaves. They would be playing on the branches until the trees become dry. With butterflies, I don't know how to attract them.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Speaking of Hummingbirds. One of my most memorable vacations was a trip to southern Arizona , the Ramsey Canyon area, in first week of September when 28 species of hummers come home. Staying in a quaint cottage on a ranch, the feeders were loaded with hummers. the wing sound very apparent and the chirping for position interesting. A recommended trip.

 

[ChanellG]

This is good to know! I love butterflies. I know a lot of stores sell butterfly feeders, however I rather make the food myself.
I find that a lot of other birds eat the butterfly food I put out. Does this happen to anyone else?

Sorry, Once we got Xmas trees in at work it was crazy busy and then I was just burned out. I have not put out fruit feeders for the butterflies yet because I don't want ants and I am still working out how to keep the ants away (came up with an idea I have to execute when things warm up again.)

I don't feed the birds, though it didn't stop a mocking bird from stealing all my blueberries last year... I also have a feral cat and...

 

[ChanellG]

Speaking of Hummingbirds. One of my most memorable vacations was a trip to southern Arizona , the Ramsey Canyon area, in first week of September when 28 species of hummers come home. Staying in a quaint cottage on a ranch, the feeders were loaded with hummers. the wing sound very apparent and the chirping for position interesting. A recommended trip.

Wow! 28 species? That sounds like a place I want to visit! In what part of the state is the Ramsey Canyon area? I am hoping to get my hummingbird butterfly garden going early this year so I can be ready for the hummers in the spring. I just hope garden kitty doesn't cause any trouble.

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Ramsey Canyon is way down in the Southern part of Arizona. And not to worry about the temp. it was wonderful . A nice sleeping temp of 65 at night and 85 during the day. It is close to other neat places to visit.

 

[Molly Gene]

Well, the thing about roses is that a) not all of them are fragrant or flavorful, and b) they are not nectar flowers visited by hummingbirds. I would stick to straight sugar and then maybe hang an additional feeder with something like a honeysuckle syrup. You don't want to go too far outside of what they would find naturally in the wild.

I wanted to keep it simple to start off, and then add more information as we "talked" more about the subject. Also, if a post is too long, people don't always want to take the time to read it.

@claudine, you might want to create a butterfly feeder like this one:

You just put some overripe food in a pan for them, with or without a syrup. Here's the link for the pin:
http://www.pinterest.com/pin/321796335844937387/

This is beautiful!! I'm definitely making this in the summer! I love butterflies and I haven't found the perfect plant that attracts them to our yard. This is a perfect way to use fruit that's gone by too! Thank you for sharing.

 

[ChanellG]

This is beautiful!! I'm definitely making this in the summer! I love butterflies and I haven't found the perfect plant that attracts them to our yard. This is a perfect way to use fruit that's gone by too! Thank you for sharing.

I'm not sure what you mean by perfect plant, as any nectar flower will attract butterflies and other pollinators. Where do you live? Maybe you should look for plants specific to the butterflies that are common to your area. You'll need a combination of host and nectar plants to attract adults and get caterpillar babies.

 

[Molly Gene]

I'm not sure what you mean by perfect plant, as any nectar flower will attract butterflies and other pollinators. Where do you live? Maybe you should look for plants specific to the butterflies that are common to your area. You'll need a combination of host and nectar plants to attract adults and get caterpillar babies.

I live in Illinois, where it is cold or cool for the majority of the year. I have planted so many types of flowers. Butterflies come an go, but they never seem to be interested in one flower. I have never seen them congregate in my yard, like they do on your butterfly feeder.

 

[ChanellG]

I live in Illinois, where it is cold or cool for the majority of the year. I have planted so many types of flowers. Butterflies come an go, but they never seem to be interested in one flower. I have never seen them congregate in my yard, like they do on your butterfly feeder.

I don't have a butterfly feeder and I am not sure I really want one since I am sure it would likely attract ants. However, I do have plenty of nectar flowers to attract the butterflies that a commonly found in my area. Again, I want to stress the difference between host plants that adult female butterflies lay eggs on and nectar plants that they feed from, and the importance of having both in the garden.

 

[Beverly]

Great thread ChanellG...i signed up a couple of days ago (Feb 2 or 3?) and just found your thread. I've been growing nectar and host plants for about 8 years here in Mexico. With luck, i can have flowers bloom year round for the year round nectar lovers, including hummingbirds. The most popular nectar plant for all nectar lovers in my garden is the Mexican Flame Vine (Pseudogynoxys chenopodioides aka Senecio confusus) pictured below but it is not a year round bloomer. In my zone it will bloom maybe 4 times a year. This vine will do well in usda zones 9 - 11. This year i am adding Conoclinium greggii (Eupatorum/Mistflower) to the nectar plants and Orange Jasmine (Murraya p.), a Rutaceae as a host for certain swallowtails. Hoping to recover from 2015, the year when nothing grew and if it did grow something ate it. I really missed the butterflies and caterpillars last year. I think the fact that our volcano was erupting all year at intense levels had something to do with it.