Setting the Dinner Table Now For
Ruby-Throated Visitors

     Occasionally we have enjoyed a short visit by solitary hummingbirds, but starting soon the Coastal Bend will be flooded with thousands of these living jewels, and they will be hungry!



     Late summer and fall is migration time for hummingbirds as they move from summer nesting grounds in the north to wintering grounds in the south.  In the spring, when they have mating on their little birdbrains, they move through here awfully fast, with out much of a "Hello" or "Goodbye".  But in fall, with their family-raising chores done, they will stop by for a more leisurely visit, if you put out the welcome bat.
     This can be a hummingbird feeder with a sugar solution, which is a great way to start a hummingbird flight, unless you set out several feeders, and not within sight of each other (hummingbirds don't take turns).  Or you can set out blooming, nectar-producing plants preferred by hummingbirds, and enjoy twice the color or hummingbirds alone.  Many such plant varieties, if set out now, will double in size and bloom productively by the time our feathered guests arrive.  
    

  Hamelia,  also known as firebush, is my #1 pick for surviving a summertime transplant and rapidly resuming growth and blooming.  Bill Talley, a local plant producer, told me that when he sets out a smorgasbord of plant varieties for hummingbirds to choose from, hamelia won the taste test by a wide margin.  Hamelia loves full, hot sun, but will still bloom in part shade.  Cape Honeysuckle is another plant adapted to sunny areas and summertime planting.  Hummers love the bright orange blooms, and you will love the glossy green foliage.
     Turk's Cap, a low to mid-size native shrub, will and bloom in sun or shade, and the red blossom will mature to a small red fruit relished by birds (and once eaten by native peoples as a source of vitamin C).  Shrimp plant, a low herbaceous plant with salmon blooms, will flower in sun or shade.
     Madam Galen Trumpet Vine  will grow on a trellis, fence, patio cover, or brick wall with lots of orange blooms, but this plant will eat your house if you plant it too close, or don't control it.  So give it some growing root.  Lantana is a low shrub available in many colors, and besides hummingbirds, the blooms also attract butterflies.  Pentas are a sun-loving herbaceous plant that is adaptable to beds or pots and available in many colors.
     Many other plants make great hummingbird feeders, but these are some of the easiest to transplant in the heat of summer for a good fall display.   For more ideas, check out the full plant list for hummingbirds and butterflies.