EPA Level III Ecoregion
Madrean Archipelago
579 native plants for the Madrean Archipelago ecoregion (Sierra Vista area).
The Madrean Archipelago reaches into the United States only in southeastern Arizona and the boot heel of New Mexico, the sky-island country around Sierra Vista, Nogales, and Bisbee. Grassland and oak woodland climb the slopes between desert basins, fed by a strong summer monsoon, and the mix of temperate and subtropical species makes it one of the richest places for pollinators in North America. Natives such as deer grass, blackfoot daisy, and birchleaf mountain mahogany match that pattern of dry spring and wet late summer.
Conditions: Rocky slope soils between desert basins, 12–20 inches of precipitation dominated by the summer monsoon, mild winters with occasional frost.
Cities and areas: Sierra Vista, Nogales, Bisbee, Douglas, Benson, Patagonia.
579 Native Plants for the Madrean Archipelago
HOA-friendly picks listed first. Pet-safety status varies by species; each plant page shows its sourced ASPCA status. Native range data from vouchered herbarium specimen records and regional native plant society lists.
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
Wild Bergamot
Monarda fistulosa
Cardinal Flower
Lobelia cardinalis
Butterfly Milkweed
Asclepias tuberosa
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
Nodding Onion
Allium cernuum
Sideoats Grama
Bouteloua curtipendula
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
Aromatic Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Prairie Junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
Mexican Hat
Ratibida columnifera
Wafer Ash
Ptelea trifoliata
Wild Woodland Strawberries
Fragaria vesca
Golden Currant
Ribes aureum
Prairie Wildrye
Elymus canadensis
Solomon's-plume
Maianthemum racemosum
Firewheel
Gaillardia pulchella
White Prairie Clover
Dalea candida
Tufted Hairgrass
Deschampsia cespitosa
Horsemint
Monarda citriodora
Deer Grass
Muhlenbergia rigens
California-poppy
Eschscholzia californica
California Fuchsia
Epilobium canum
Chocolate Daisy
Berlandiera lyrata
California Wild Buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Pigeonberry
Rivina humilis
Golden columbine
Aquilegia chrysantha
Blackfoot Daisy
Melampodium leucanthum
Star False Solomon's-seal
Maianthemum stellatum
Prairie Verbena
Glandularia bipinnatifida
Buffalograss
Bouteloua dactyloides
Firecracker penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Canadian Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis
Apricot globemallow
Sphaeralcea ambigua
Antelope Horn Milkweed
Asclepias asperula
Engelmann's Daisy
Engelmannia peristenia
Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus betuloides
Prairie Spiderwort
Tradescantia occidentalis
Desert Marigold
Baileya multiradiata
Esperanza
Tecoma stans
Blue Elderberry
Sambucus mexicana
Four-wing Saltbush
Atriplex canescens
Woolly Sedge
Carex pellita
Banana yucca
Yucca baccata
Showing 48 of 579. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Madrean Archipelago
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Esperanza
Fall is the tail end of bloom season, and the point where you start thinking about protecting the plant from the first freeze.
- Little bluestem
Fall brings cooler nights and a shift to copper and rust colored blades.
- Switchgrass
Fall brings switchgrass's seed heads and color around Tucson as the monsoon tapers off.
- Wild bergamot
Fall cools off faster at sky island elevations, so wrap up planting early.
- Cardinal flower
Fall is the window for seed to mature before cooler nights arrive in the sky island canyons.
- Firewheel
Fall offers a second planting window for firewheel around Tucson, and a chance to manage how much it spreads.
- Butterfly milkweed
Fall brings seed pods and the start of dieback for butterfly weed in the sky islands around Tucson as the monsoon ends.
Build a plan for the Madrean Archipelago
The Pollinator Patch App turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Sierra Vista area.