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Glad to be of help.
I live in the upper Fraser Valley and ,when it gets warm, we have lots of the little suckers. One friend in the Chilliwack River Valley [just a little cooler than down from the mountains] is inundated every season. She does put out feeders and maintains them - really important. She claims that the hummers are smart enough to come back every year to the places where they're fed lots and safe. Does make some sense, I suppose.
There were a ton of more plant selections too. Most of the good gardening mags [including Gardening Life, of course] should have lists in their spring issues. Keep an eye out and Vive Spring!
Thank you for your reminder about butterflies.
Have you had much luck with the humminbirds. I used to live in BC, and I don't remember seing any.
Thanks.
To attract hummingbirds look for plants with tubular flowers [fuschia]. Their long, slim beaks are looking for somewhere they'll fit. They want stuff that's sweet and fragrant [not a bad thing!]
Asclepias [butterfly weed] is a must have. This is a favorite food and is available with orange or pink [my fav] flowers. Buddleia [butterfly bush] grows like a weed but can be controlled by hacking it to just above the ground each spring. Echinacea [purple cone flower] and eupatorium [joe pye weed] work well too.
Pretty much any of the "prairie" plants and anything with "weed" in the common name are great butterfly snacks.
Don't forget that butterflies are catepillars to begin with - so be prepared for plant damage. Do not use pesticides where you want to attract both birds and insects. A little standing water [changed often] will make everyone happier - and bring in dragon and damselflies too.