Impatiens, a popular annual bedding plant, are often assumed to be excellent hummingbird attractors due to their bright, prolific blooms. The question of whether these flowers draw hummingbirds has a nuanced answer that depends on the specific variety and the bird’s feeding strategy. While their visibility is undeniable, the most common garden varieties are not the primary food source for these specialized pollinators.
The Interaction with Common Garden Impatiens
The standard garden impatiens, Impatiens walleriana, and most New Guinea Impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri) are generally poor attractors for hummingbirds. The flower structure of these popular varieties is shallow and open, rather than the deep, tubular shape hummingbirds prefer. This morphology makes the nectar easily accessible to generalist insects like bees, which are the main pollinators for this type of flower.
A hummingbird might occasionally investigate these colorful blooms, especially if they are planted in large, visible masses. However, the lack of a deep corolla means the bird cannot efficiently harvest the nectar while hovering, which is its preferred feeding method. These flowers do not encourage repeated hummingbird visitation, making them less reliable for a consistent food source.
The Biological Markers Hummingbirds Seek
Hummingbirds are drawn to flowers that signal a high-value, protected nectar reward, which is a result of co-evolution. The birds possess a color vision that extends into the ultraviolet range, but they show a strong preference for high-visibility colors like red and orange. This preference helps them quickly locate flowers that are typically avoided by bees, which often cannot perceive red light.
The most defining feature of a hummingbird-pollinated flower is the tubular or trumpet shape. This structure perfectly accommodates the bird’s long bill and tongue, allowing it to reach the nectar deep within the corolla while hovering. The deep tube also serves to protect the sugary nectar from less efficient foragers. These flowers must produce copious amounts of nectar with a high sugar concentration, often around 20 to 30 percent, to provide the necessary fuel for the hummingbird’s extremely high metabolism.
Related Species That Are Hummingbird Magnets
While the common bedding impatiens are not specialized for hummingbirds, a close native relative, Impatiens capensis, is a significant food source. Commonly known as Jewelweed or Spotted Touch-Me-Not, this native species is a food source for migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbirds in late summer and fall. The flower of the Jewelweed is a pendulous, orange-yellow pouch with reddish-brown spots and a distinct nectar spur at the back.
This unique, tubular, and spurred structure forces the hummingbird to insert its bill deep into the flower, ensuring the pollen is deposited on the bird’s head. Jewelweed nectar can have a sugar concentration as high as 40 percent, providing a dense source of energy for birds preparing for migration. The flowering period is often synchronous with the peak of hummingbird migration, highlighting its role in the birds’ annual cycle.
Maximizing Your Garden’s Hummingbird Appeal
To reliably attract hummingbirds, focus on planting species that possess the deep, tubular flower shape and vibrant colors the birds seek. Planting specialized hummingbird flowers in large clusters, or “drifts,” makes them more visible from a distance. Providing a continuous food source is also important, so select a variety of plants with staggered bloom times to ensure nectar is available from early spring through late fall. Finally, avoid using broad-spectrum insecticides, as hummingbirds supplement their nectar diet with small insects for protein.
Recommended Plants
- Salvia, such as Salvia elegans (Pineapple Sage) or Salvia guaranitica, which offer abundant, nectar-rich, tubular flowers in red or purple.
- Fuchsia species, known for their pendulous, bi-colored, tube-shaped blooms, which thrive in partial shade.
- Penstemon, or Beardtongue, providing tall spikes of tubular flowers in shades of red, pink, and purple.