Plants For Wildlife


NATIVE Plants of the Year

Golden Gate Bird Alliance and California Native Plant Society (Yerba Buena and East Bay chapters) are proud to partner on a local Native Plants of the Year program to bring back San Francisco’s native plants to benefit birds, butterflies and our environment.



General List of Native Plants For Bay Area Wildlife Gardens

Botantical Name

  • Acer sp.
  • Aesculus californica
  • Betula sp.
  • Pinus sp.
  • Prunus ilicifolia
  • Quercus agrifolia

Common Name in English

  • Maple
  • California Buckeye
  • Birch
  • Pine
  • Islais Cherry
  • Coast Live Oak

Botanical Name

  • Garrya elliptica
  • Heteromeles arbutifolia
  • Morella californica

Common Name in English

  • Coast Silk Tassel
  • Toyon
  • Pacific Wax Myrtle

Botanical Name

  • Arctostaphylos sp
  • Baccharis pilularis
  • Ceanothus sp.
  • Mahonia sp.
  • Rhamnus californica
  • Ribes sanguineum

Common Name in English

  • Manzanita
  • Coyote Bush
  • Wild Lilac
  • Mahonia
  • Coffeeberry
  • Red Flowering Currant

Botanical Name

  • Achillea sp.
  • Aster sp.
  • Cirsium sp.
  • Eriogonum sp.
  • Eschscholzia californica
  • Heracleum lanatum
  • Lupinus sp.
  • Diplacus aurantiacus
  • Oenothera sp.
  • Penstemon sp.
  • Salvia sp.
  • Zauschneria californica

Common Name in English

  • Yarrow
  • Aster
  • Thistle
  • Wild Buckwheat
  • California Poppy
  • Cow Parsnip
  • Lupine
  • Sticky Monkeyflower
  • Evening Primrose
  • Beard Tongue
  • Sage
  • California Fuchsia

Botanical Name

  • Festuca rubra
  • Nassella pulchra

Common Name in English

  • Red Fescue
  • Purple Needlegrass

Local Native Plant Nurseries


Local services

Nature in the City’s gardening service helps design, install, and maintain biodiverse native plant gardens in San Francisco.


Helpful websites


More Useful Sites


books and brochures

GGBA Brochures

Inviting Wildlife into Your Backyard: [SF] {East Bay] [Español: Invita La Naturaleza]

Healthy Trees, Healthy Birds [English] [Español: Árboles Sanos, Aves Sanas]


writings on wildlife gardening

Bauer, Nancy, (2008) The Habitat Garden Book: Wildlife Landscaping for San Francisco Bay Region; Coyote Ridge Press, 2nd edition, Sebastopol, CA. Clear & compact beginner’s guide. Review from Bay Nature.

Grissell, Eric, (2001) Insects and Gardens: In Pursuit of a Garden Ecology. Timber Press. Portland, OR. Book on the importance of insects.

Lowry, Judith Larner, (2007) Gardening with a Wild Heart: Restoring California’s Native Landscapes at Home. U.C. Press, Berkeley, CA. Wild land ecology.

Popper, Helen, (2012) California Native Gardening: A Month-by-Month Guide, U.C. Press, Berkeley, CA. A month by month guide to gardening with native plants in a state that follows a unique, nontraditional seasonal rhythm.

Sonoma County Master Gardeners, (1999) Flora for Fauna: Habitats for Birds, Butterflies, and Beneficial Insects. Wayward Gardens, Sebastopol, CA. Booklet of fauna attractors.

Stein, Sara, (1993) Noah’s Garden: Restoring the Ecology of Our Own Backyards. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, MA. Transformation of garden to native ecosystem.

Sunset Books & Magazines (2000) Attracting Birds: Bird Identification, Feeders, Houses & Baths. Sunset Books Inc., 2nd edition, Menlo Park, CA. Illustrated bird habitat guide.

Tallamy, Douglas W, (2009) Bringing Nature Home: How You Can Sustain Wildlife with Native Plants. Timber Press, Portland, OR.


Other Resources

Come back later for additional resources to be added to this section.