Butterflies
Fly up to 12 miles per hour
Range in size from an 1/8 in. to almost 12 in.
Cannot fly if their body temperature is less than 86 degrees
Include 24,000 species
Some of the plants that attract butterflies...if you plant them, they will come.
FLOWERS (Click arrow to expand)
SHRUBS (Click arrow to expand)
For more information about attracting Butterflies to you garden, visit the Xerces Society. Also, visit Gardens with Wings and enter your zip code to identify local Butterfly species and a list of their favorite host and nectar plants.
Hummingbirds
Hummingbirds are absolutely amazing! Noted for their iridescent coloring, zippy flight, ability to fly backwards, and hover while feeding, these diminutive birds also migrate thousands of miles annually. Hummingbirds have such a high metabolic rate that they daily consume their body weight in food.
We can deliberately invite these delightful visitors into our yards by planting their preferred flowers - starting with the color red, to which they are magnetically attracted. By planting flowers whose nectar hummingbirds seek, we not only feed hungry birds, but also help pollinate plants - while those long slender bills are seeking nectar down a tubular flower, the hummingbirds are inadvertently picking up pollen that they will then transfer to the next flower.
Some of the plants that attract hummingbirds...
(select red varieties whenever possible)
PERENNIALS & BIENNIALS (Click arrow to expand)
ANNUALS (Click arrow to expand)
FLOWERING SHRUBS & VINES (Click arrow to expand)
Recipe for hummingbird feeders:
Boiled solution of one part sugar to four parts water. Do not use red dye, and do not substitute honey for sugar, as it may produce a fungal disease fatal to hummingbirds.
Insects in the Garden
Many insects are not the pests we imagine them to be. In fact, they are often beneficial. Bees are necessary for pollination and, by eating nectar, produce scrumptious honey. Others, like ladybugs and praying mantises, eat pest insects and keep their population under control. The songbirds and hummingbirds you lure to your garden also need insects for survival.
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