How To Attract Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds do live in the Chicago area. They can sometimes be a little tricky to attract so if you'd like to attract them to your yard, follow these guidelines and plant some of the things on this list of their favorite plants.

There are two main rules to remember about the flowers that hummingbirds like:

#1. They like red

Hummingbirds love the color red. It's like a neon sign on a restaurant. It draws them in to investigate and see if there is any good food to be found. And boy oh boy do hummingbirds love to eat. Their flight uses up energy quickly so they need to be constantly feeding.

#2. Trumpet Shape

Hummingbirds have long thin beaks and tongues. They prefer to sip nectar out of deep, trumpet shaped flowers. They're also the only ones, other than butterflies, that can get the nectar out of these flowers. Bees and other insects have very short mouth parts, so the nectar in long, thin, trumpet-shaped flowers are reserved just for hummingbirds and butterflies.

Now that you know the 2 main criteria for selecting flowers for hummingbirds, check out these plants that fit them!