How about the shrub Flowering Quince? It's Chaenomeles something--speciosa, I think, but there may be other related species. I don't speak from personal experience, but I've seen it listed on hummingbird plant lists. It is blooming here now in Zone 6, southwestern Pennsylvania, and my native red columbines aren't yet. That would fit the bill for an early bloomer. A couple of days ago, I noticed a mass planting of these on a hillside beside a gas station, so it looks like they might be pretty tough, too. When no one was looking, I plucked a blossom off to test it for nectar, and the flower was just full of it! The flowers of these particular ones were sort of a coral pinkish red, and the 2-3 foot shrubs were just covered in blooms. I think they also can be found in white, but I suppose the hummers would prefer the reddish ones. Here is a link that might be useful: Hummer Flower list with Chaenomeles

Hi Lary and Deb! Welcome to the group of hummer addicts! LOL A good first step might be to go through this thread to get some ideas of plants that are natural hummer attractants. My very first was attracted to one of my then-reblooming weigelas and to my goldflame honeysuckle - way before I had any feeder... and in fact, my honeysuckle is just barely starting a rebloom cycle and my little regular couldn't wait to start buzzing around it and getting the nectar from it. I knew there was a flower there ready to open and I soon as I saw her this morning over there, I wondered if the flower was open and sure enough, it has started to open and she was right on it! Once they find your spot and you have some plants that they like, you may find them moving between the feeder and the plants... although some ignore feeders and just do plants while others may ignore some of the plants and hang out at the feeder. But in any case, they are fun to watch... like big bees!

THANKS EVERYONE: I just got back from Pittsburg Kansas where I handed the little hummer over to a Wildlife Rehabilitater she will be taking the little guy to a Master Bird Rehabilitater in the morning. If it had not been for the information and support you all gave me here on this forum the little fellow was as good as gone. Thanks, Kathy

Hummingbirds don't stay because there's a feeder. When it's time to migrate, they will. That said, there are no guarantees that nature has this birds best interests in mind. Some birds do perish due to delayed migration but that may be natures way of weeding out insufficiencies. If there are no blooms around, taking away this birds food source may deprive it of the important resources needed to attain the required physical state that will initiate migration. Maintaining a feeder is the best you can do to help this bird. It may have hatched very late and may just need one more day. You'll never know for sure. Another thing to consider, is this bird a Ruby-throated? There are number of individuals of different western species that, for whatever reason, head east instead of south. Quite often, these birds are young birds so they all look very similar, green and white. Calliope and Rufous are probably the most common "lost" species but there are other possibilities.