Hummingbirds are back in Michigan for the summer, and planting native flowers could attract them to your backyard.
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.
This story is brought to you as part of a partnership between WKAR and Michigan State University's Knight Center for Environmental Journalism.
Produced with assistance from the Public Media Journalists Association Editor Corps funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private corporation funded by the American people.