Backyard Wildlife Habitat – Nectar Feeders

Important components of any wildlife habitat are food, water, and shelter. By providing these elements in an attractive arrangement and with careful planning, hummingbirds, butterflies and bees can be attracted to any space.

Hummingbirds

Hummingbirds, our smallest birds, feed five to eight times per hour, consume half of their weight in sugar each day, have the ability to hover, and beat their wings approximately 2.7 million times as they fly nonstop across the Gulf of Mexico from the U.S. to Mexico (“Hummingbird Haven: Backyard Habitat for Wildlife” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service). According to the Hummer Bird Study Group, it takes a Ruby-throated Hummingbird between 18-24 hours to fly across the Gulf, and once they hit the U.S. coast in spring they move north at a rate of about eighteen miles per day. In the fall, the majority of the population has left the U.S. by November 1, although a few over-winter along the Gulf coast.

There are four components to a good hummingbird habitat: flowers, feeders, water, and insects. A good habitat has a variety of flowers that bloom at various times of the year, offering a constant nectar source. Hummingbirds especially like red, orange and pink tubular flowers. Three-dimensional vegetation, such as shrubs and trees of varying heights, offer birds a safe haven from predators and a place to build their nests. Sixty percent of a hummingbird’s day is spent perching. Some exotics, such as bougainvillea, produce nectarless blossoms which trick hummingbirds into wasting valuable energy trying to obtain nectar from them, so choose native plants.

Hang several small feeders around the yard, out of sight from each other, to decrease competition among birds. A simple solution of 1 part sugar to 4 parts water (boil the water to dissolve the sugar, then cool before adding to feeder) is the ideal nectar source for feeders. The solution can be stored in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. Do not use honey or artificial sweeteners, and do not add food coloring. Add moats/ant traps to deter insects, and keep feeders clean and change solution often (every 3-4 days when hot, every 5-7 days when cool, rinsing between fillings) to keep birds healthy. Insects are more likely to be attracted to leaky feeders with old fermented sugar solution. Clean feeders with hot water and a bottle brush, no soap. Once a month clean in a solution of ¼ cup of bleach to 1 gallon of water, and soak for one hour, or a solution of 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water. Feeders can be left up year round, as they help hummingbirds store energy for migration and offer a food source for winter stragglers.

Over half of a hummingbird’s diet consists of insects and spiders, therefore it is imperative that no pesticides, insect repellents, or petrochemicals (including petroleum jelly on feeder wires) are used on a lawn where one is attracting hummingbirds. Fine mist watering devices directed onto leaves will also attract hummingbirds.

Butterflies

A good butterfly habitat provides food for both the adults and the caterpillars. Butterfly larvae feed on plants, and without caterpillars there would be no butterflies, so it is important to provide food sources for the young. Eastern black swallowtail larvae feed on carrots, dill, celery and parsley; Eastern tiger swallowtail caterpillars eat the leaves of wild cherry, birch, poplar and tulip trees. Once the larvae morph into adult butterflies, they will need nectar plants. It is easier for them to locate groups of flowers/host plants than a single one, so plant patches of a plant species.

Also offer butterfly bait to attract butterflies. Mix brown sugar or molasses with overripe bananas and allow the mixture to sit for a few days. Add one can of beer, and put the mixture out in shallow dishes.

Incorporate light colored rocks or concrete stones into the habitat for basking sites. Offer shallow dishes filled with wet sand, soil or mud, or a rock with a depression that collects water for drinking. Water misters are also excellent for butterflies. Butterflies and caterpillars are extremely sensitive to insecticides, so avoid use in the vicinity of the habitat.

To raise your own monarch caterpillars, visit Live Monarch.

Bees

In the U.S. there are nearly 5000 different species of bees. Most are solitary and non-aggressive, and very important pollinators. They, like hummingbirds and butterflies, are particularly vulnerable to insecticides. Bees are partial to blue and yellow flowers.

See Native Plants to Attract Wildlife for recommendations of native plants which are particularly attractive to nectar feeders.