I saw one yesterday too. It surprised me. I don't think I've seen them in October before. I don't have any feeders filled but I have lots of salvia blooming. I have only seen one tanager in my life several years ago when we were in Branson. I think it was a Summer Tanager. I thought it seemed as red as a cardinal but slightly smaller and no crest. There are also Scarlet Tanagers that are bright red with black wings. Could it have been one of those Ceresone? Here is a link that might be useful: Summer Tanager

Geez...thanks so much! I've been feeding them here for over 20 years, but only seriously for about 10...the first 10 there wasn't a lot of info, and I winged it. Now I'm retired and have a lot more time to watch them! As you feed them year after year, you will notice that you will get more and more! I read somewhere that the young always return to within a few miles of where they hatch to breed the next year, so maybe that's why. I have gotten so I can recognize a few of them..one has a very distinct bend in her beak, 1 is fat (really fat) and just a little different marking than the others..I look for them every year. As for plants..just google hummingbird plants and you will get tons of plants. For a beginner, I would suggest Monarda(bee balm)..it is a perennial almost everywhere and gets bigger patches every year. The leaves are also what Earl Grey tea comes from, so great for us, too! I usually buy hanging baskets of fuchsia and petunia every year, too. As for vines, they like honeysuckle and morning glory a lot. Supposed to love trumpet vines, but my 15+ year old vines only get a couple blooms on them..I think I'm way too far north..maybe they like southern states better? I have a very large vegetable garden, and the females especially come bug hunting when their young have hatched, so that's a bonus for me! Good luck! And thanks for the praise! I get a lot of enjoyment from them!

Patrick, I also live in East Wenatchee and I have several Hummingbirds. I did put out feeders because they need the nectar to keep up their energy to make it through the winter. I wrapped the feeders in Christmas lights to keep them from freezing or you can bring them in at night but you'll need to be an early riser because they start eating at dawn. I've seen them as early as 6:30am. Also you can read online about wintering hummingbirds and how to take care of them. Happy Humminbirding, Barbara

Aside from all that lol, basically what everyone else said, many flowers work for hummers. Anything tubular with plenty of nectar is best but they can adapt to some others. Annuals: Zinnia (grow from seed), annual salvias, pentas, impatiens Perennials: Perennial salvias depending on region (Southeast= 'Black and Bloom' salvia & Salvia Amistad are favorites in my yard), Red Yucca, Penstemon/Beardtongue, Purple coneflower (wild type is best but cultivars White Swan, Cheyenne Spirit, & PowWow series are ok), coral bells, hosta, Agastache, Bee balm, columbines, Red hot poker, lilies (but only in addition to other plants) Shrubs: Butterfly bush, Firebush (zone 9+ only), Firespike (zone 8b+ only, not a shrub, herbaceous, but shrub sized), azaleas Small trees: Callistemon/Bottle brush (zone 9+, 'Woodlanders hardy' is zone 7+), Red Buckeye Vines: Trumpet honeysuckle (NOT invasive Japanese honeysuckle, the native kind)... possibly Trumpetvine and Crossvine but both can be aggressive Firebush is my (and my hummer's) absolute favorite btw and might be worth growing in a large container (low water needs) up North and overwintering by a window. Last tips: Minimize or eliminate pesticide use (a big part of hummingbird diets, and what their babies depend on especially, are small insects and spiders) and have feeders up by the time they arrive in spring when they're forming their territories. Hope that helps and I hope you get plenty of hummers next year, good luck!