Marin Backyard Habitats
The Marin Backyard Habitats program invites you to transform your yard into a thriving habitat by planting native species that support local wildlife, conserve water, and improve soil health.
By replacing invasive plants and reducing pesticide use, you can protect waterways from pollution and create a sanctuary for birds, bees, bats, butterflies, and more.
Start your journey to creating a healthy backyard habitat by selecting plants from the searchable Marin Local Native Plant Guide listing below .
Here we have suggested over 40 resilient local native plants that will enrich your garden, improve your appreciation of local wildlife and enhance the resilience of your neighborhood.
Farewell To Spring
Annual
Clarkia amoena
Easy to Grow
Bright pink , purple flowers in spring and summer.
Supports Bees, Bats, Caterpillars , Hummingbirds , and 5 species of Butterflies and Moths
A California native wildflower that has been growing in the region for over 10,000 years
Learn More
Type: Annual
Size: to 3 ft tall
Watering : Max summer water 1x month
notes: Deer resistant
California Poppy
Annual/ Perennial
Eschscholzia californica
Easy to Grow
Orange, Yellow flowers Spring to Fall.
Often drops into senescence in the heat of summer and returns from the surviving root growth with the onset of cooler weather
Supports Bats, Bees, Birds, Caterpillars, and 7 species of Butterflies and Moths .
A variety of Bee species are attracted to the pollen and nectar and California Quail especially like the seeds
A member of the poppy family that evolved perhaps 50 million years ago the California poppy is a truly an ancient part of our our ecosystems and has likely been on the landscape here for millions of years
Type: Annual / Perrenial
Size: To 2 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 2 x / month
Special uses: Easy to grow Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Will grow in Pots, Self -Seeds
Tricolor Gilia
Annual
Gilia tricolor
Easy to Grow
Blue, Lavender, and White Spring, Summer flowers.
Looks great in mass planting. Will reseed itself in the garden.
Supports Bees, Bats, Caterpillars, and several species of Butterflies and Moths
A California native wildflower that has been growing in the region for over 10,000 years
Type: Annual
Size: to 1 Ft
USES: Easy to grow , Self-Seeds
Hairy Leaved Sunflower
Annual
Helianthus annuus
Easy to Grow
Yellow, Orange flowers in Summer
Supports Bats, Birds, Bees, Caterpillars and 37 species of Butterflies and Moths
Our wild native Sunflower had its origins here in North America at least 5,000 years ago , is an ancestor of the agricultural varieties grown around the world today.
Type:Annual
Size: to 5 ft + Tall
waTERING: Summer Water Maximum 1x / week
Notes: Easy to Grow , Will grow in Pots
Sky Lupine
Annual
Lupinus nanus
Blue,Lavender fragant spring flowers
Dies back with summer heat , Self
Supports Bats, Bees , Birds, Caterpillars and over 53 species of Butterflies and Moths
Adds fertility to the soil by fixing nitrogen from the air
Has been growing in California for thousands of years, likely since the end of the last Ice Age, around 11,000–12,000 years ago.
Type: Annual
Size: to 2 ft Tall
watering: Water Maximum 2x / month ,
notes: Deer Resistant, Fire Safe , Will grow in Pots, Self seeds
Fivespot
Annual
Nemophila maculata
White, Blue, and Purple Winter and Spring flowers
Supports Bats, Birds, Bees, Caterpillars, and 4 species of Butterflies and Moths
Fast growing and likes to spread, providing seasonal ground cover that helps protect soil and support biodiversity
Type: Annual Tree
Size: To 1 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 2x / Month
Notes: Re-Seeds
Rock Phacelia
Annual /Perennial
Phacelia californica
Easy to Grow
Lavender, White Flowers. Spring and Summer
Supports Bats, Bees, Caterpillars and 11 species of Butterflies and Moths
This native wildflower is a food source for the Mission blue butterfly, an endangered species endemic to San Francisco.
Type: Annual /Perennial
Size: To 1 ft
Watering: never irrigate once established
Common Yarrow
Perennial
Achillea millefolium
Easy to Grow
White and Yellow Flowering , Spring to Summer
Supports Bats, Birds, Bees, Caterpillars and 15 species of Butterflies and Moths
Type: Perennial
Size:1 to 3ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / week
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Will grow in Pots, Lawn Alternative
Mugwort
Perennial
Artemisia douglasiana
Easy to Grow
Fragrant silver-grey leaves, flowers are small and not obvious
Supports Bats, Birds, Caterpillars, and 30 species of Butterflies and Moths
Many medicinal uses reported
Type: Perennial
Size: 1 To 3ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant
Narrow Leaf Milkweed
Perennial
Asclepias fascicularis
Lavender / Pink Summer and Fall Flowers
This native milkweed variety is the correct one to provide support for Monarch migration health and survival
Allow the Monarch eggs to mature in the garden and the caterpillars to consume the leaves without disturbing them.
Works well with a wide variety of other plants but is best located where its winter leaf loss and summer consumption by caterpillars will not be the center of attention. Also, plant a number of milkweeds in proximity so caterpillars will have sufficient amounts to eat.
Type: Perennial
Size:1 To 3 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 2 x /Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Will grow in Pots
Cobweb Thistle
Perennial
Cirsium occidentale
Easy to Grow
Red and Purple Thistle flowers Spring into Summer
Supports Birds, Caterpillars and 16 species of Butterflies and Moths
This thistle tends NOT to be a troublesome weed.
Type: Perennial
Size: To 3 ft
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant
California Fuchsia
Perennial
Epilobium canum
Easy to Grow
Red Summer and Fall Flowers .
Often goes dormant in Winter
Supports Bats, Birds, Hummingbirds, Caterpillars and 15 species of Butterflies and Moths
This is THE best California native plant for attracting hummingbirds.
Type: Perennial
Size: To 1 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Will grow in Pots, Self-Seeds
Seaside Daisy
Type: Perennial
Size: To 1 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe
Coast Buckwheat
Perennial
Eriogonum latifolium
Easy to Grow
Pink and White Flowers Summer to Fall
Supports Bats , Birds, Bees, Caterpillars and 42 species of Butterflies and Moths
Leave the flower stalks to remain through winter to provides seed for hungry birds
This is a long time native of California and has been present for thousands to potentially millions of years.
Type: Perennial
Size: To 2 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Will grow in Pots
Red Fescue
Perennial Grass
Festuca rubra
Red fescue makes mounding lawn or soft groundcover and can be mowed to 2 inches.
Thrives in Cool Season, often becomes brown and dormant in the Summer heat
Suitable for a meadow garden as well as in dry shade under oaks.
Supports 12 species of Butterflies and Moths
In the natural landscape, it is often among the pioneer species that colonize disturbed areas, contributing to soil stabilization and establishing more complex plant communities.
Type: Grass
Size: 1 to 2 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Lawn Alternative
Woodland Strawberry
Perennial
Fragaria vesca
Easy to Grow
Winter Spring Flowering and Spring Summer Fruiting
Grows in Dry Shade under oaks
Supports Bats, Birds, Caterpillars and 42 species of Butterflies and Moths
Ecological History
Type Perennial
Size: To 1 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 3 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Self Seeds, Will grow in Pots
Oregon Gumweed
Perennial
Grindelia stricta
Easy to Grow
Yellow Flowers Spring and Summer
Supports Bats, Caterpillars and 10 species of Butterflies and Moths
Excellent butterfly nectar source in summer and fall, birds & small mammals often eat the seeds and may use plant for nesting site. Native American tribes in the region, such as the Chumash, are known to have used it for medicinal purposes, which suggests that Grindelia stricta has been an integral part of the California landscape for a long time.
Type: Perennial
Size: To 3 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 3x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant
Douglas Iris
Perennial
Iris douglasiana
Easy to Grow
Pink , Blue , Purple Flowers in Winter and Spring
Supports Caterpillars, Hummingbirds and Butterflies
Tribes of Mendocino County used the fibers along the edges of the leaves to make rope for hunting and fishing.
Type: Perennial
Size: To 1 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 or 2 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Will grow in Pots
Common Rush
Perennial / Grass
Juncus patens
Easy to Grow
Showy brown fruit and seed capsules Summer to Fall
Grows is both wet or dry conditions
Supports Caterpillars, Birds and Butterflies and Moths
Provides nesting material for birds.
Type: Perennial / Grass
Size: 1 to 3 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Will grow in Pots, Fire- Safe
Prairie Flax
Perennial
Linum lewisii
Blue and White Spring and Summer flowers
Supports Bats, Bees, Caterpillars and 9 species of Butterflies and Moths
It provides special value to native bees
Type: Perennial Size: To 1/2 ft
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Self Seeds,