Although hummingbirds feeding on bright red flowers may be the last thing you’d expect to see in a dry, desert landscape, scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata) didn’t get the memo. Known for its bright red blooms, this flowering plant — also known as skyrocket, fairy trumpet, or rocket flower – is one of many US native plants that attracts hummingbirds. Scarlet gilia grows in USDA Hardiness Zones 5 through 8,  primarily in the deserts, scrubland, and mountains of the western US.

Sometimes called scarlet standing cypress because of its rosette of wispy leaves reminiscent of cypress tree needles, scarlet gilia grows sky-reaching, bloom-covered flower spikes that occasionally reach up to 5 feet tall, though they usually stop growing at a more modest 3 feet in height. The individual blooms of this biennial or perennial wildflower are tubular and star-shaped, and can appear in shades of red, salmon, pink, or white, depending on the plant — or the time of year.

Attracted to the color red because of the cones in their eyes, hummingbirds make natural pollinators for scarlet gilia. So, when they already have a steady relationship with red-favoring birds, why would the plant produce flowers of other colors, like pink and white?

Those lightning-fast, tiny birds aren’t the only long-tongued pollinators that can forage from tubular blooms. Sometimes mistaken for hummingbirds, hawk moths also feed on flower nectar, but are attracted to paler blooms since they feed at dusk, and lighter colored flowers show up better at night.

Known in their caterpillar form as tomato hornworms, hawk moths don’t just bear a resemblance to hummingbirds; they perform the same job, taking the autumn shift just as their bird counterparts are clocking out. In many locations, hummingbirds aren’t around all year long, migrating to warmer locations in the fall. Individual skyrocket flowers can then become paler over the course of the summer, giving the blooms a chance to be pollinated earlier by hummingbirds, before they migrate, and after they are gone, by hawk moths. Essentially, scarlet gilia changes its colors as a backup plan to make sure its blooms get pollinated.

Whether you’re growing scarlet gilia to attract those tiny, iridescent birds to your yard, or you just like the looks of the flowers, double-check your growing conditions before adding them to your landscape. If your location gets 10 to 40 inches of rain per year, this western US native plant will be right at home in your garden.

For best results, grow scarlet gilia in full sun to part shade, in well-drained soil that has a loamy, sandy, or rocky composition. If this wildflower made your short list of native plants to add to a xeriscape or rock garden, consider growing it with companion plants like lupine and penstemon.

Keep in mind that when rubbed, the leaves of skyrocket release an unpleasant, skunk-like odor, so avoid planting it where you will frequently brush past the foliage. If scarlet gilia isn’t a great fit for your climate or you are wary of the skunky leaves, there are other perennials you can grow for hummingbirds so that they will always have a source of food handy before the time comes for their migration.