California Native plants that can attract bird life into your garden

Courtesy of Las Pilitas Nursery

Common Genus/Species Part Used Name When Specific Birds Area? Cover?

Mountains, Red Crossbill, Clark's Nutcracker, provides cover

Abies concolor White Fir birds eat seeds fall Pygmy Nuthatch, Blue Grouse and roosting and nesting sites along creeks in drier areas, birds eat seeds, away from water spring through Evening Grosbeak, many other

Acer macrophyllum Big Leaf Maple buds, birds work in more fall kinds of birds flowers northern sections of California grows along Acer negundo var. California Box same as Big Leaf same as Big same as Big Leaf Maple streams mostly californicum Elder Maple Leaf Maple in valleys Achillea Lesser goldfinch, Lawrence's Yarrow birds eat seeds summer many areas borealis subsp. cal. goldfinch birds eat grows in Pine Siskin, Lesser seeds,buds, streams goldfinch, Lawrence's

Alnus rhombifolia White Alder provides cover summer throughout goldfinch Warblers, Cedar and nesting coast ranges and Waxwings materials western Sierras Blue Grouse, Catbird, Crow, Evening Grosbeak,, Western Scrub Important food Jay, Yellow-billed Magpies , during summer, Western

Amelanchier alnifolia fruits summer Mockingbird, American Robin , mostly Serviceberry Townsend's Solitaire, Western mountain Tanager, Sage forests Thrasher, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Many birds work Antirrhinum spring- Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Flowered flowers, birds eat large perennial multiflorum summer Hummingbirdseed gleaners Snapdragon seeds species in mountains, birds work spring- Anna's HummingbirdAllen's Aquilegia sp. Columbine coastal areas, in

flowers summer Hummingbird moist, partly shaded areas in forests, Pacific Band-Tailed Pigeon,varied mostly in the

Arbutus menziesii fruit fall Madrone Thrush, Long-Tailed Chat northern coast ranges Western Scrub Jay ,Black-headed fruit, birds work Grosbeak,, Mockingbird, Fox provides Arctostaphylos sp. Manzanita summer-fall flowers Sparrow, Anna's Hummingbird, excellent cover Allen's Hummingbird birds eat leaves, LEAVES-year Sage grouse, California quail, throughout Artemisia sp. Sagebrush birds work round Mountain quail, Green-tailed California, flowers, birds eat FLOWERS- towhee provides cover seeds spring through and nesting sites fall, depending and perching on species sites SEEDS-fall through winter throughout stems-early used to construct Hooded California except Asclepias sp. Milkweed stems spring Oriole nests directly on the coast Lesser goldfinchLawrence's throughout Aster sp. Aster birds eat seeds seeds-fall goldfinch, sparrows California through most of Calif, provides California seeds-summer Ceanothus sp. birds eat seeds mountain quail, California quail, good cover and Lilac through fall nesting sites for many birds provides cover, food and nesting material, found in foothill areas of coast ranges birds eat seeds, Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Western seeds-fall and Sierras from

Cercis occidentalis birds work Hummingbird,Lesser Redbud flowers-spring mid-state

flowers goldfinch, Lawrence's goldfinch northward and desert slopes of so. California mountain ranges throughout birds eat seeds seeds-summer California in Mountain blue grouse-seeds and other birds Cercocarpus sp. and birds eat to fall leaves- mountainous Mahogany eat leaves leaves year round areas, provides good cover birds eat seeds, thorny sucker birds work butterflies that is worked Cirsium flowers and Anna's hard by birds proteanum(Cirsium summer to fall, Lesser goldfinch, Lawrence's Red Thistle Hummingbird, and butterflies, occidentale var. birds eat seeds goldfinch pine siskin, Allen's native to many venustum) summer to Hummingbird of the foothill winter like flowers areas flowers- western tanagers and warblers fruits-Western Bluebirds, Lesser goldfinch, Lawrence's goldfinchMockingbirds, Swainson' found in moist s Thrush, Hermit birds work soils in forests Thrush, flickers, Black-headed birds work flowers spring and along Grosbeak, kingbirds, Hooded Cornus sp. Dogwood flowers, buds -summer, streams, used Oriole , Yellow-billed Magpies, and fruits fruits summer- for cover, a very flycatchers, American Robin , fall valuable bird sapsuckers, tree swallows, plant tanagers, California Thrasher,, vireos, warblers, cedar waxwings, woodpeckers, Band-Tailed Pigeon. Buds eaten by Band- Tailed Pigeon, other birds. Diplacus sp. Monkeyflower birds work flowers- late Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's grow throughout flowers spring to Hummingbird California, in midsummer scrub, chaparral and woodland, in rocky areas, birds work flowers last longer in afternoon shade found in moist areas at edges of stems and lakes and ponds, stems and eaten by snow goose and whistling Equisetum sp. Horsetail rootstocks all moist soil in rootstocks swan, likely other waterfowl year many different habitats thruout California good cover in leaves- eaten by blue open areas, very grouse, California quail. Seeds common in birds eat leaves, leaves-all year eaten by House finch , Dark-eyed Eriogonum sp. Buckwheat California in birds eat seeds seeds- fall Junco, California horned lark, Bell sunny, dry or sparrow, brown towhee, Spotted well-drained Towhee, other birds places California annual to Eschscholzia species seeds summer California quail, love Poppies perennial leaves eaten by blue grouse, California quail, fruits eaten by American Robin , blue grow in sunny or grouse, California quail,, Lesser eat leaves all shady, moist Wild goldfinch, Lawrence's Fragaria sp. leaves- fruits year, fruits soils, very easy Strawberry goldfinch, Black-headed Grosbeak, summer, fall to cultivate, sparrow, California birds love them Thrasher,, California Towhee, cedar waxwing, Western Scrub Jay and other birds seeds eaten by Wood grows mostly on ducks, California quail,, Lesser moist soils such goldfinch, Lawrence's Fraxinus sp. Ash birds eat seeds seeds-fall as near streams, goldfinch Black-headed Grosbeak, rivers, moist cedar waxwings, sap is extracted areas and eaten by sapsuckers Small perennials birds eat seeds eaten by Mourning that grow in Wild Geranium sp. birds eat seeds seeds-summer Dove, California quail, California forest meadows, Geranium Towhee and edges, not dry areas birds eat seeds eaten by Bush Tits, Lesser goldfinch, Lawrence's deciduous Helianthus sp. Sunflower birds eat seeds seeds-fall goldfinch other seed gleaning perennial birds sub-shrub, Island Alum birds work Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's

Heuchera maxima spr perennial, north

Root flowers Hummingbird slope J. calif. Small dec. tree, J. Juglans calif. California Hindsii, large

nuts winter Western Scrub Jay And Juglans hindsii Black walnut dec. tree seasonally wet coastal small bushes, Bush birds work early spring- Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Keckiella species usually summer

Penstemons flowers summer Hummingbird dec., chaparral large bush, birds work aggressive Lavatera Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Malva Rosa flowers, birds eat summer fall seeder in coast assurgentiflora Hummingbird, seed gleaners seeds areas, native on islands summer dec. bush, seasonally birds work Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Lepechinia calycina Pitcher Sage summer wet, most of

flowers Hummingbird state except deserts Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's rambling vine, birds work Hummingbird, California spring, seasonally wet, Lonicera species(all) Honeysuckles flowers and Towhee, California summer, fall creek side berries Thrasher,, American everywhere Robin , Western Bluebirds California quail, LOVE, other bush, Lupinus species Silver Lupine birds eat seeds summer birds like everywhere Western large evergreen Nevin's BluebirdsLOVE, American

Mahonia berries summer bush southern Mahonia Robin , California Calif mountains Thrasher,California Towhee Mahonia aquifolium, M. California Thrasher,, American creeping bush, repens, others Oregon Grape berries summer Robin , California Towhee, berry chaparral and Mahonia, Berberis lovers forest except M. nevinii birds eat seeds, Anna's seed gleaners like bush tits, Anna's Hummingbird, Malacothamnus speci Summer Hummingbird, Allen's bushes, semidec. Bush Mallows Allen's es through fall Hummingbird, pick tiny insects In fall, chaparral Hummingbird pi out of flowers ck insects out of flowers small to large Monkey Birds Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's perennial, wet Mimulus species flower summer

work flowers Hummingbird places throughout small perennial, Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Monardella species Coyote Mint flower summer brushy and

Hummingbird forest areas spring- Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's perennials,

Penstemons flower

summer Hummingbird throughout Western Scrub Jay and Steller's birds eat seeds, Jays, White-breasted trees, all but Pinus species Pines pick insects out always nuthatch, Red-breasted nuthatch,, deserts of bark many others Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's fuzz, and birds Trees, wet places

Platanus racemosa Sycamore spring, winter Hummingbirduse fuzz for nest, eat seeds throughout seed gleaners eat Prunus species Cherries berry summer many, Western Scrub Jay large bushes birds eat nuts The most!, Western Scrub (acorns), birds Jay and Steller's Jays , Band- Quercus species Oaks All year eat leaf galls, Tailed Pigeon, California birds pick quail, White-breasted insects off leaves nuthatch, Oak Titmouse and and twigs, birds others eat acorns. Bushtitseat leaf use tree for galls. The Oak nesting Titmouse and bushtitspick insects sites,birds pick off leaves and twigs. Woodpeckers insects out of and White-breasted nuthatch pick bark birds use insects out of bar. Woodpeckers bark in which to store acorns in bark. store acorns large bushes, (R. crocea much drunk feeding smaller but little Western Scrub Jay , California Rhamnus species Coffee Berry frenzy when summer-fall berries), Thrasher,, other berry eaters berry ripe seasonally wet places except desert California Thrasher,, California Sugar bush, medium to large summer- Towhee, Swainson's Thrush, Rhus species Lemonade Berry bushes, desert to spring Hermit berry, etc. chaparral Thrush, Warblers, Wrentit , etc medium Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Evergreen winter- groundcover for

Ribes viburnifolium berry, flower Hummingbird, California currant summer shade, island Towhee,California Thrasher, north slope Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's medium winter- Hummingbird, California deciduous. Ribes species Currants Berry, flower summer Thrasher,, Western Scrub shrubs, north Jay and Steller's Jays , etc. slopes creeping deciduous. Western Scrub Jay , California shrubs,

Rosa species Wild Rose hips summer-fall Thrasher,, California Towhee, etc. seasonally wet places throughout large shrubs frequented by many, young catkins eaten, scales, birds from the

Salix species Willows most always aphids, galls, etc. all very surrounding important part of that habitat communities, wet places throughout shrubs to perennials, sun birds work Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's to part-shade,

Salvia species Sages flowers and spring-fall Hummingbird, seed gleaners desert to birds eat seeds chaparral, not conifer forest all, a VERY heavily used bird large dec. bush, Berries, birds bush, we have a Anna's Sambucus seasonally wet Elderberries work flowers, always Hummingbird, Allen's

>Sambucus species places stem structure Hummingbird nest in ours most throughout years birds work Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's Bee plant, spring- perennials, Scrophularia species flowers, birds eat Hummingbird, small seed Figwort summer chaparral seeds gleaners small

Sidalcea species Checkers birds eat seeds summer California Thrasher,, seed gleaners perennials, grasslands perennials, S. berry eaters have not been hoffmanii is big

Solanum species Nightshades berry summer informed that these are supposed groundcover or to be poisonous bush, all but deserts creeping birds work Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's

Stachys species Hedgenettle summer perennials, all

flowers Hummingbird but deserts Too many birds to imagine, VERY IMPORTANT to birds. California quail, Western Bluebirds,Bushtits, Chestnut- backed Chickadee, Lesser goldfinch, Lawrence's goldfinchflickers, Dark-eyed Chaparral, Junco, Ruby crowned woodlands, Toxicodendron Many birds eat Summer- fall- Poison Oak Kinglet, Yellow-billed Magpies, forests below diversilobum fruits winter crows, sparrows, California 4500 ft. Thrasher, Black Phoebe, elevation sapsuckers, Swainson's Thrush, Hermit Thrush, Oak Titmouse California Towhee, wrens, woodpeckers, vireos, warblers, waxwings, Wrentit , etc. etc. Woolly-blue birds work Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's shrubs,

Trichostema lanatum summer

curls flowers Hummingbird chaparral creeping Zauschneria California birds work Anna's Hummingbird, Allen's perennial, summer-fall species(Epilobium) fuchsia flowers Hummingbird seasonally wet spots through