Ruby-throated hummingbird

The one on this list most gardeners in eastern North America can actually invite over. Red, tubular flowers are the classic hummingbird design, and the cardinal flower, Lobelia cardinalis, is the clearest example: as the bird probes for nectar, its head hits the anthers and then pollinates the stigma of the next bloom. In the Northeast, this hummingbird is the only effective pollinator the cardinal flower has, so a garden patch of it is more than decoration. Pair it with other native red tubular plants such as trumpet honeysuckle, a hummingbird favorite, and you give the birds a reason to stop and the flowers the partner they depend on.