The hummingbird is a high-energy avian pollinator found across the Americas, known for its rapid, hovering flight. This intense activity requires a massive amount of fuel to sustain its metabolic rate. To meet these demands, the bird must consume large volumes of nectar, its primary source of carbohydrates. Survival is linked to the ability to efficiently locate and extract this sugary liquid from flowering plants.
Understanding Hummingbird Attractants
A hummingbird’s foraging behavior is driven by the necessity to seek flowers offering the greatest reward for the least effort. Hummingbirds look for a deep, specialized structure that accommodates their long, slender bill and tongue. This tubular shape restricts access for many insects, ensuring the nectar remains available for the avian pollinator.
Nectar quality is equally important, as hummingbirds prefer a high concentration of sugar, particularly sucrose, which provides the most readily available energy. While hummingbirds are often thought to prefer red flowers, their attraction is a learned response to colors associated with high-reward nectar sources. Red and orange are common in flowers that co-evolved to be pollinated by birds, making them reliable visual cues for a substantial meal.
The bird’s tongue, which is forked and covered in tiny lamellae, is designed for rapid nectar consumption. A hummingbird can extend and retract its tongue up to 13 times per second, trapping the liquid through capillary action. This specialized feeding apparatus is most effective when inserted into a deep, narrow corolla that holds a concentrated pool of nectar.
The Specifics of Chrysanthemums (Mums)
Chrysanthemums (mums) are classified as composite flowers, meaning the “flower” is a dense head composed of hundreds of tiny individual florets. The central disc contains numerous small, short, tubular disc florets, surrounded by ray florets that resemble petals. This structure is adapted to attract generalist pollinators like bees and butterflies, which easily land on the wide, flat surface.
For a hummingbird, this structure is inefficient and physically challenging. The nectar stores are shallow, distributed across many small, exposed florets, rather than concentrated in a single, deep tube. Since the hummingbird’s bill and tongue are designed to probe deeply, harvesting nectar from these dispersed florets is energetically wasteful.
Mums often bloom in shades of red, orange, and yellow, which visually attract hummingbirds. However, the reward is too dispersed to justify the energy expenditure for the bird. A hummingbird may occasionally investigate a chrysanthemum, especially when other nectar sources are scarce, but it is not a preferred food source. The bird quickly learns that the composite structure does not offer the high-volume, easily accessible meal it requires.
Alternative Flowers for Hummingbird Gardens
Gardeners looking to reliably attract hummingbirds should focus on plants exhibiting the preferred characteristics of a bird-pollinated flower. These alternatives offer a high-octane meal efficiently packaged for the bird’s unique anatomy. The tubular-shaped flowers of Bee Balm (Monarda) are excellent, producing plentiful nectar and featuring the bright colors hummingbirds favor.
Another reliable group is the sages (Salvia), which offer a wide range of colors and long blooming periods. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) is often called a hummingbird magnet due to its large, fiery orange-red, trumpet-shaped flowers that hold a substantial nectar reserve. Other effective choices include Cuphea (Firecracker Plant) and Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis), both of which feature deep, tubular corollas.