Planting native flowers this summer could bring hummingbirds to your yard

By CLARA LINCOLNHOL, Capital News Service

LANSING – Lindsey Kerr with Michigan State University Extension said hummingbirds like trumpet-shaped flowers because they can stick their beaks into the plant to eat the nectar.

Native flowers like columbine, cardinal flower, bee balm and hairy beardtongue are good options, she said.

But that’s not all hummingbirds are looking for.

“Throughout the season, they will fly to other people’s yards looking for those plants to nectar on, but they need specific things to nest and have babies,” Kerr said.

That includes both insects and flowering plants. You have better odds of attracting hummingbirds if your neighbors have flower gardens, too.

“It’s really kind of a collective thing – your neighbors need to be supporting them as well,” Kerr said.

Hummingbirds returned to Michigan in mid-May and will stay until mid-September when they migrate to their wintering grounds.

Clara Lincolnhol is a reporting intern in a partnership between WKAR Radio and Michigan State University’s Knight Center for Environmental Journalism in collaboration with Capital News Service.