Bird-Friendly Grasses of Northern Nevada
NORTHERN NEVADA NATIVE TREES
INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE:
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​​Aristida purpurea: Purple Three Awn
Festuca idahoensis: Bluebunch Fescue
Muhlenbergia rigens: Deergrass
Sporobolus airoides: Alkali-Sacaton
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​The table below contains a list of grasses native to Northern Nevada and the surrounding areas. The table also has a photo, brief description and a list of the birds attracted to the plant. The information from this table was taken from the National Audubon Native Plant Finder. If you would like a list of plants more specific to your zip code, use the Native Plant Finder and input your zip code for your own list of plants.
Plants can have multiple common names but their scientific names are standardized. Some people prefer to find plants by their scientific name, while others prefer common. That is why we alternatively listed the plants each of the handouts in alphabetical order by their common name. See the list above to find plants in the guide by their scientific name.
Alkali-Sacaton
(Sporobolus airoides)
This is a medium-sized, summer-growing bunchgrass known for its tolerance of alkaline soils. It grows green, deciduous leaves near the base, reddish spikelet seedheads, and small, yellow flowers that bloom mid-summer. This bunchgrass can also tolerate drought, growing up to 3 feet tall in partial shade and moist to dry soil.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Finches, Chickadees & Titmice, Sparrows, Nuthatches Crows & Jays, Woodpeckers, and Grosbeaks and Buntings
California Figwort
(Scrophularia californica)
Also known as California Bee Plant, this evergreen perennial grows 4 feet high and 3 feet wide. Its red to maroon flowers bloom from February to May and produce seeds that are a food source for birds. It is drought tolerant and can grow in full sun to shade and in moist to dry soils. This plant also highly attracts bees, earning it its nickname.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Hummingbirds, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Orioles, Sparrows, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood WarblersWrens
Bitter Cherry
(Prunus emarginata)
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Bitter Cherry is a deciduous, perennial shrub that can grow up to 50 feet tall, often forming thickets. It produces white flowers in the spring, followed by extremely bitter, red fruits that are inedible to humans but a favorite of birds. This plant tolerates full sun to partial shade and has low water requirements.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Orioles, Vireos, Woodpeckers, Crows & Jays, Nuthatches, Chickadees & Titmice, Waxwings, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Thrushes, Wrens, Grosbeaks and Buntings, Sparrows, Wood Warblers
California Sage
(Salvia columbariae)
Also known as Chia Sage, Golden Chia, Desert Chia, or simply Chia, this annual herb grows to 2 feet in height. From March to June, it produces fragrant, pale blue to purple flowers that are popular with bees and butterflies. This plant tolerates poor soil and full sun, growing best in dry, well-drained soils.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Finches, Chickadees & Titmice, Sparrows, Crows & Jays, Woodpeckers, Grosbeaks and Buntings
Cardinal Catchfly
(Silene laciniata)
Other common names for this plant include Southern Indian Pink and Mexican Campion. It is a perennial herb that grows up to 2 feet high and 3 feet wide, producing brilliant red, starburst flowers from April to July. It grows in partial shade and can tolerate a variety of soils but requires more water than more drought-tolerant natives. The striking red color and tubular shape of the flowers make this plant a popular stop for hummingbirds and butterflies.
Hummingbirds, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Orioles, Sparrows, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers
Common Sunflower
(Helianthus annuus)
This well-known annual grows on an erect, rough-hairy stem, reaching heights of up to 10 feet, with broad, rough leaves. The large "flower" of the sunflower is actually a "flower head" of numerous small, individual five-petaled flowers. This plant is highly attractive to birds for its seeds, and grows best in full sun and dry clays or heavy sands.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Crows & Jays, Nuthatches, Finches, Chickadees & Titmice, Wood Warblers, Wrens, Vireos, Sparrows, Grosbeaks and Buntings, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Waxwings, Orioles
Common Yarrow
(Achillea millefolium)
Also known as Western Yarrow and Milfoil, this spreading, perennial herb has feathery compound leaves and grows to 3 feet tall. Its flower heads are arranged in large, flat, compact clusters at the top of the stem. There is some confusion over the categorization of this species in North America, as substantial hybridization has occurred between native and Eurasian strains. Common Yarrow forms spreading colonies and may be best suited for naturalized areas, growing in full sun to partial shade, and in dry soil.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Orioles, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Crows & Jays, Sparrows, Waxwings, Woodpeckers, Grosbeaks and Buntings, Vireos, Finches, Chickadees & Titmice, Wood Warblers
Crimson Columbine
(Aquilegia formosa)
Other names for this plant include Red or Western Columbine. Similar in appearance to the Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis), Crimson Columbine grows 1 1/2-3 feet tall and bears nodding red and yellow flowers from spring till early fall. This plant is popular with hummingbirds, and grows best in moist soil and partial shade.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Vireos, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Orioles, Sparrows, Hummingbirds
Eaton's Firecracker
(Penstemon eatonii)
Also known as Firecracker Penstemon and Firecracker Beardtongue, this perennial herb can grow up to 3 feet high and 2 feet wide, preferring sun but tolerating shade. It grows in dry, gravelly soil, and produces tubular, scarlet flowers on purple stems in June and July. These flowers are popular stops for hummingbirds.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Grosbeaks & Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Hummingbirds, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens
Paintbrush
(Castilleja miniata)
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Great Red Indian-Paintbrush or Meadow Paintbrush is an herbaceous perennial that grows 1 1/2 to 3 feet tall, with bright green leaves, and flower clusters that range from pale orange to vibrant scarlet and resemble a ragged paintbrush, thus earning it its name. This plant grows in full sun and wet to moist, well-drained soils. Great Red Indian-Paintbrush is often difficult to transplant because its roots grow until they become connected to the roots of other plants in order to partially obtain nutrients from them.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Hummingbirds
Hummingbird-Trumpet
(Epilobium canum)
Also known as California Fuchsia and Zauschneria, this perennial grows up to 3 feet high and wide. As the name suggests, this is an excellent plant for attracting hummingbirds, producing bright red to red-orange, trumpet-shaped flowers from August to October. It tolerates full sun to partial shade and is drought tolerant.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Wood Warblers, Orioles, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Waxwings, Sparrows, Hummingbirds, Vireos
Narrow-Leaf Fireweed
(Chamaenerion angustifolium)
Also known as Willow Herb or simply as Fireweed, this showy, perennial wildflower has willow-like leaves and red stems like other plants in its genus, but its magenta blossoms make it unique. Its seeds are spread by rhizomes, and its flowers bloom from June to September, attracting hummingbirds as well as bees and moths. This plant grows in full sun to partial shade, and tolerates shallow, rocky soil.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Hummingbirds, Vireos, Wood Warblers, Waxwings, Sparrows, Orioles, Mockingbirds & Thrashers
Northern Mule's-Ears
(Wyethia amplexicaulis)
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This perennial plant grows 1 to 3 feet tall. It produces yellow, daisy-like flowers in late spring to early summer, and lance-shaped leaves that resemble the ears of a mule, hence its name. This plant grows in full sun and in moist to wet, well-drained, clay soil.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Grosbeaks & Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Sparrows, Woodpeckers
Rocky Mountain Beardtongue
(Penstemon strictus)
This evergreen, perennial herb is also known as Rocky Mountain Beardtongue, and produces blue-violet, trumpet-shaped flowers on thin, green, 3 foot long spikes. It grows in partial shade and prefers dry, light, well-drained soils, though tolerates heavy soils and moisture.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Hummingbirds
Scarlet Monkey-Flower
(Mimulus cardinalis)
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This evergreen perennial, also known as Crimson Monkey-Flower, grows up to 3 feet high and 3 feet wide. Its bright red, nectar-rich flowers bloom from March to May and are especially attractive to hummingbirds. This plant does best with moderate to regular watering and full sun to partial shade.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Hummingbirds, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Orioles, Sparrows, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers
Scarlet Skyrocket
(Ipomopsis aggregata)
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This perennial herb is also known as Scarlet Gilia and Skunkflower. It can grow to 5 feet tall, with low-growing, fern-like leaves and trumpet flowers that range from white, pink, and brilliant orange-red. Though beautiful and eye-catching, this plant gives off a slightly skunky smell, which explains one of its nicknames. Scarlet Skyrocket grows best in partial shade, and in dry, sandy and loamy soils.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Hummingbirds, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Orioles, Sparrows, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers
Smooth Blue American-Aster
(Symphyotrichum laeve)
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This robust, upright, perennial plant with arching stems typically grows to 3 feet tall. It has smooth, blue-green foliage and produces loose clusters of violet-blue flowers with yellow centers from September to October. It grows in full sun, and in rocky or dry soil, and attracts native bees and butterflies.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Grosbeaks and Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens
Starry False Solomon's-Seal
(Maianthemum stellatum)
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Also known as Starry False Lily of the Valley, this dainty perennial grows 1 to 3 feet in height. It grows as a single, unbranched stem that bears a small, terminal cluster of white, star-shaped flowers followed by dark fruit in mid to late summer. This plant grows in partial shade and in a variety of moist soils, especially sandy.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Grosbeaks and Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Sparrows, Woodpeckers
Sulphur-Flower Wild Buckwheat
(Eriogonum umbellatum)
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Also called Sulphur Buckwheat and Sulphur-flower, this is a low-growing, perennial herb that only reaches 1 foot in height and 3 feet in width. It produces sulfur-yellow flower clusters from summer into fall that fade to orange or red. This plant thrives in full sun to partial shade, and in well-drained, gravelly soil, requiring little water after it is established.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Orioles, Sparrows, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers
Virginia Strawberry
(Fragaria virginiana)
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Otherwise known as Wild Strawberry, this is a perennial, ground-hugging plant with hairy, leafy stalks and white, five-petaled flowers with yellow centers. Once these flowers bloom in the spring, they are followed by sweet, wild strawberries that attract a variety of wildlife. This plant only grows up to 1 foot tall in full sun to partial shade, and in a wide range of dry soils.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Grosbeaks and Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens
White Sagebrush
(Artemisia ludoviciana)
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This plant has several common names, including Louisiana Sage, Silver Sage, Mugwort Wormwood, and Gray Sagewort. This perennial shrub grows to 3 feet in size, with attractive silvery foliage and small, yellowish flowers that bloom from July to October. White Sagebrush grows in full sun and has a medium to low water requirement, adapting to a variety of soils.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Grosbeaks and Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Sparrows, Woodpeckers
White-Tip Clover
(Trifolium variegatum)
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This annual, flowering shrub grows 4 to 14 inches tall. It produces a head-like cluster of deep purple or pink flowers that have white tips and bloom from March to July. It grows in full sun, and in moist, well-drained soil, though it can tolerate poor soils.
BIRDS ATTRACTED:
Grosbeaks and Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens