Photos: Top left: California Fuchsia / center: Fuchsia-flowered gooseberry / right: Golden currant
Circular photos: left: Southern pink / right: Scarlet larkspur
Bottom left: Heart-leaf Penstemon / : Pink Thistle / right: Scarlet monkeyflower
Hummingbirds are residents of Griffith Park and can be seen flying in many areas. Hummingbirds are among the smallest birds found in our world and have great acrobatic skills, hovering in midair and even flying backwards.
Because of their small size, hummingbirds burn calories very quickly and require constant feeding to ensure they have energy for their active lifestyle. A hummingbird’s diet consists of protein provided by insects and carbohydrates provided by flower nectar. Hummingbirds are very selective of the flowers they visit and many plants have adapted their flowers to cater to the hummingbirds. Hummingbirds and plants engage in a mutualistic relationship, evolved over time, in which the flowers get pollination services and the hummingbird gets a valuable meal.
The flowers that are most attractive to hummingbirds have colors of red, orange, and yellow. Hummingbirds do not use smell to discern flower preferences, but can detect dangerous insects in order to avoid them by sensing their chemicals. Because hummingbirds can hover in midair, their preferred flowers will lack a landing platform and are suspended in the air away from the plant to ensure a clear line of sight by the bird.
One of the best ways for people to help hummingbirds is to incorporate plants in their garden space with flowers that specifically cater to the birds. Plastic or glass nectar feeders are not recommended because they can easily transfer infections and pathogens from one hummingbird to another.
If you wish to view hummingbirds while hiking, all you need to do is sit in close proximity to a plant that is blooming and avoid making sudden and quick movements. In time, hummingbirds will arrive to drink from the flowers – and you will have a front row seat.
~Jorge Ochoa, FoGP Advisory Board Member
Ochoa is an associate professor of horticulture at Long Beach City College.
He often leads FoGP walks through Griffith Park, and occasionally
lectures on the fauna and flora found throughout the Park.
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