Resident (Migratory) Hummers

We have 2 resident hummingbirds in the back: Coral Top and Cptn Squeeky Pants. Coral Top roosts in the Chinese Lantern (Vesuvius) when not flitting on the wire or curly willow.

I think it's his 2nd year with us; Cptn Squeeky Pants roosts in the deodar cedar and has been with us at least 3 years.

When we first started buying plants, I ran into a brochure at The Berkeley Hort about plants that attract butterflies and hummingbirds. It worked!

Although they love the chinese lantern and the salvias, an all time favorite are the antique impatients, also known as Poorman's Orchids. An agressively re-seeding plant of the quick-in-the-hand variety, we have banks of wonderful flowers starting late spring and lasting through mid-summer (it's Doug's favorite).

Many other birds besides the hummingbirds migrate to our garden every year. Obviously we use no pesticides, herbicides, or chemical fertilizers.

Coral Top has some kind of relationship with the front yard hummer. He actually tolerates roosting together, but gawd forbid the interloper dare to suck on the hot lips! That always results in chase and flight.