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.
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
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
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
Coyote Mint
Perennial
Monardella villosa
Easy to Grow
Pink Lavender Flowers in Spring .
Often becomes dormant in Summer Heat
Supports Humming Birds, Bats, Bird, Bees, Catterpillars and 11 species of Butterflies and Moths
Indigenous peoples of California are known to have used Coyote Mint for medicinal purposes, often utilizing their aromatic properties for teas
Type: Perennial
Size: To 2 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 2x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Will grow in Pots
Evening Primrose
Perennial
Oenothera elata
Easy to Grow
Yellow , Orange Flowers in Summer and Fall
as name implies flowers close at mid day but open in the evening
Supports Bats, Caterpillars Hummingbirds and 15 species of Butterflies and Moths
Its fragrance is known to attract lined sphinx moth as well as other moths at night.
The seeds attract goldfinch.
Type: Perennial
Size: To 3 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Week
USes: Self-Seeds
California Aster
Perennial
Symphyotrichum chilense
Easy to Grow
Blue , Lavender Flowers in the Summer
Supports Bats, Birds, Bees, Caterpillars and 10 species of Butterflies and Moths
Blooming from late summer to early fall, its clusters of lavender to pale purple flowers are magnets for native bees, butterflies (such as the painted lady and monarch), and other pollinating insects that rely on late-season nectar sources. This extended bloom time also makes it a useful plant for creating seasonally diverse habitat gardens that support pollinators through the year.
Type: Perennial
Size: To 3 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Will grow in Pots
Common Manzanita
Tree / Shrub
Arctostaphylos manzanita
Easy to Grow
Evergreen, small white Flowers Winter and Spring forming small fruit resembling “little apples” as the Spanish word
manzanita implies
Supports over 50 species of Caterpillar, Butterflies and Moths
There are many different species, hybrids, and varieties of Manzanitas native to California. They vary in size, flower color, and more, making them an excellent option for most gardens.Tshey are a pollinator and wildlife all-star, supporting local birds and insects.
Plants in this family are highly mycorrhizal (associated with symbiotic fungi). This allows them to survive in many harsh environments; however, it also makes them very susceptible to over watering and fertilizing. They really do not like to be summer watered nor fertilized. If grown correctly these plants, especially the larger forms, will grow for more than 100 years.
Type Shrub / Tree
Size: 3ft To over 6 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe, Self Seeds, Will grow in Pots
Coyote Bush
Shrub
Baccharis pilularis
Easy to Grow
White Flowers in Spring, Summer, Fall
Supports Bats, Catterpillars, and 29 species of Butterflies and Moths
An amazing pioneer species field study has shown Baccharis to send roots as deep as 10 feet . The extensive root structure also allows these plants to access deep water sources which it also makes available to surrounding plants
Type Shrub
Size:2 ft to 6
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Week
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant
Blueblossom Ceanothus
Shrub
Ceanothus thyrsiflorus
Purple and White Flowers in Winter and Spring
Supports Hummingbirds, Bats, Birds, Bees, Catterpillars, and 93 species of Butterflies and Moths!
Varying dramatically in form and size over its natural range, some plants grow fairly upright to 30 feet and others grow in a mounding form to only 2-3 feet tall.
Type: Annual Grass Perennial Herbaceous Shrub Tree
Size: 3 To 30 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: a habitat superstar!
Western Redbud
Tree / Shrub
Cercis occidentalis
Easy to Grow
Purple and Pink Flowers in Winter and Spring as foliage also turns color
Supports Hummingbirds, Bats, Birds, Bees, Caterpillars and 11 species of Butterflies and Moths
Native Leafcutter Bees especially like the flowers
This Shrub / Tree is a legume and adds nitrogen to the soil
Type: Shrub / Tree
Size:10 To 20 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Week
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe
Sticky monkeyflower
Shrub
Diplacus aurantiacus
Orange, Red Flowers in Winter, Spring, and Summer
Supports Hummingbirds, Bats, Bees, Birds, Catterpillars and 8 species of Butterflies
Exceptionally deep root systems to 6 feet or more
Type: Shrub Tree
Size: To 4 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 1 x / Month
uses: TAGS Deer Resistant, Fire Safe
Coffeeberry
Shrub
Frangula californica
Easy to Grow
Small Flowers turn into Blue and black Fruit in Summer
Supports Bats, Catterpillars, and 33 species of Butterflies and Moths
Small flowers attract native bees and hummingbirds in spring. Fall Berries are eaten eagerly by birds
Deep, fibrous roots contribute significantly to soil stabilization, especially on slopes and in erosion-prone areas. These roots also enrich the soil by supporting beneficial soil microbes and mycorrhizal fungi.
Type: Shrub
Size: 6 To 15 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 2 x / Month
uses: Will grow in Pots
Toyon
Tree / Shrub
Heteromeles arbutifolia
Easy to Grow
White Flowers in the Summer followed by Fall and Winter Red Berries
Supports Bats, Birds, Bees, Caterpillars, and 8 species of Butterflies and Moths
An important nectar plant for the California Tortoiseshell butterfly.
The berries are eaten by many birds, including Mockingbirds, American Robins, and Cedar Waxwings. Mammals including coyotes also eat and disperse the berries.
Grows to 15 feet tall a good choice for erosion control, fire resistance, and as an informal hedge in the landscape.
A great native alternative to exotic Pyracantha and Cotoneaster.
Type: Tree
Size: To 15 ft
Watering: Maximum Summer Water 2 x / Month
Uses: Deer Resistant