By putting up feeders and planting tempting flowers, you can draw hummingbirds to your garden year after year.

People love hummingbirds because they’re so extreme in their looks, size and beauty. They’re the smallest bird in Pennsylvania, and they have very iridescent feathers.

They’re also very tame around people. You can attract them right to your kitchen window.

Hummingbirds are fun to watch for their unusual flight. They move their wings in a figure-eight pattern. They fly forward and backward and hover in mid-air.

You’ll often know a hummingbird is near by the humming sound made by their wings. The hovering flight allows hummingbirds to maneuver similar to bees around flowers.

You’ll also see them do an aerial “pendulum display.” The male flies up and down like a pendulum to attract a female or to defend a feeding site.

Hummingbirds also will chase each other; they are fairly aggressive for such tiny birds.

Although 16 hummingbird species are native to the United States, only the ruby-throated hummingbird is found east of the Mississippi River.

Each September, the birds migrate to Mexico and Central America, flying nonstop 600 miles across the Gulf of Mexico.

In spring, the birds return, following the blooming of early-season flowers such as azaleas, rhododendrons and columbine. They arrive in Pennsylvania from mid-April to early May.

To attract hummingbirds to your yard, plant masses of flowers.

Hummingbirds lack a well-developed sense of smell and are drawn to flowers by their color instead of their scent.

Preferred hummingbird flowers are red, orange and pink, but the birds eat nectar from flowers of most colors.

At least 19 species of native plants in the northeastern United States are pollinated primarily by hummingbirds. These include: spotted touch-me-not, trumpet vine, cardinal flower, fly honeysuckle, trumpet honeysuckle, fire pink, columbine and wild bergamot. You may want to purchase hanging plants such as fuchsia.

Once you have established your hummingbird garden, a great way to attract the birds to a specific location is to provide a hummingbird feeder. These are not traditional bird-feeders, but are designed to dispense a sugar-water solution.

Place the feeders near large clusters of flowers early in the season so that hummingbirds are easily drawn to them.

Once the birds come to your feeder, you can move the feeder, gradually, to almost any location, such as in sight of a window for better viewing. The birds will find the feeder once they are attracted to an area.

Fill the feeders with a nectar of one-part sugar to four-parts water. A stronger solution can be harmful to their kidneys, while a weaker one may not attract them. You don’t need to purchase commercial nectar, it’s not better than what you can make at home.

You should avoid honey and water mixtures. Some people think honey and water is healthier, but it ferments and grows a mold that can be very harmful to hummingbirds.

Although some people recommend adding red food coloring to the nectar, it adds no benefit. The birds will be attracted to the red plastic on the feeder.

Minimize your use of pesticides. Pesticides may harm the flowers hummingbirds feed on, as well as the hummingbirds themselves.

Finally, make sure the feeder is out of reach of cats. Cats are extremely proficient hunters, and they hunt whether they’re hungry or not.

“Growing Green” is contributed by Diane Dorn, Lehigh County Extension Office Staff, and Master Gardeners. Information: Lehigh County Extension Office, 610-391-9840; Northampton County Extension Office, 610-813-6613