Marin Backyard Habitats
The Marin Backyard Habitats is an important new program inviting you to transform your yard into a thriving habitat by planting native species that support local wildlife, conserve water, and improve soil health.
For details on our full program please review our About page
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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