I've always been skeptical of the claim that hummingbirds "prefer" red flowers. And it isn't only the anthropomorphic aspect of this argument which bothers me. I suspect that it is people who notice red flowers selectively, and when they are looking at the red flowers they notice what's going on around the red flowers. Thus, people are more likely to notice hummingbirds on red flowers than on dark, inconspicuous flowers. In this garden the hummers wait in line with the bumblebees to get to the dark flowers of Salvia guaranitica. I think Terry has it right: when you're hungry, color doesn't matter. (That line sounds like the punch line to a joke describing the first brave person who bit into a pizza.) Montgomery County, Maryland, USA, USDA zone 7 where I still vividly remember my first childhood encounter with a pizza: between the smell and the road-kill appearance, I was extremely dubious. But, as Terry said, when you're hungry...