EPA Level III Ecoregion
Sierra Nevada
1076 native plants for the Sierra Nevada ecoregion (Fresno area).
The Sierra Nevada ecoregion climbs from the oak-studded foothill towns east of Fresno and Sacramento up through conifer forest to the crest. Foothill gardens deal with hot dry summers and occasional snow; higher elevations get a real winter. Foothill natives like western redbud, flannelbush, and foothill penstemon handle the summer drought that kills thirstier plantings.
Conditions: Decomposed granite and rocky loam, hot dry summers in the foothills, snow above roughly 3,000 feet.
Cities and areas: Fresno, Visalia, Sonora, Placerville, Grass Valley, Mariposa.
1076 Native Plants for the Sierra Nevada
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.
Common Yarrow
Achillea millefolium
Soft rush
Juncus effusus
Aromatic Sumac
Rhus aromatica
Scarlet Strawberry
Fragaria virginiana
Red-osier Dogwood
Cornus sericea
Prairie Junegrass
Koeleria macrantha
Bear-grape
Arctostaphylos uva-ursi
Golden Currant
Ribes aureum
Wild Woodland Strawberries
Fragaria vesca
Solomon's-plume
Maianthemum racemosum
Tufted Hairgrass
Deschampsia cespitosa
Narrowleaf Milkweed
Asclepias fascicularis
Flowering Currant
Ribes sanguineum
Coyote-mint
Monardella villosa
Western Columbine
Aquilegia formosa
California-poppy
Eschscholzia californica
Deer Grass
Muhlenbergia rigens
Sulfur-buckwheat
Eriogonum umbellatum
California Fuchsia
Epilobium canum
Pacific Serviceberry
Amelanchier alnifolia
California Wild Buckwheat
Eriogonum fasciculatum
Bunchleaf Penstemon
Penstemon heterophyllus
Checker-mallow
Sidalcea malviflora
Foothill Lupine
Lupinus albifrons
Apricot globemallow
Sphaeralcea ambigua
Canadian Goldenrod
Solidago canadensis
Western Blue-eyed Grass
Sisyrinchium bellum
Scarlet Bugler
Penstemon centranthifolius
Crevice alumroot
Heuchera micrantha
Firecracker penstemon
Penstemon eatonii
Coastal Tidytips
Layia platyglossa
Fiddleneck
Phacelia tanacetifolia
Star False Solomon's-seal
Maianthemum stellatum
Toyon
Heteromeles arbutifolia
California Buckeye
Aesculus californica
Clarkia
Clarkia unguiculata
Broadleaf Stonecrop
Sedum spathulifolium
Blue Thimble-flower
Gilia capitata
Western Redbud
Cercis occidentalis
Common Juniper
Juniperus communis
Birchleaf Mountain Mahogany
Cercocarpus betuloides
Bush Cinquefoil
Potentilla fruticosa
California Rose
Rosa californica
California Honeysuckle
Lonicera involucrata
Douglas' Sagewort
Artemisia douglasiana
Bird's-eyes
Gilia tricolor
Chinese Houses
Collinsia heterophylla
Oregongrape
Mahonia repens
Showing 48 of 1076. Enter your ZIP for the natives matched to your yard.
Fall care in the Sierra Nevada
What to do right now for plants commonly grown here. Each links to the full regional care guide for that species, with sources.
- Scarlet keckiella
Fall at Lake Tahoe turns cold quickly, well ahead of the mild fall this species experiences in Southern California, so timing matters more here.
Build a plan for the Sierra Nevada
Pollinator Patch turns plants like these into a front-yard plan tuned for the soil, climate, and HOA expectations of the Fresno area.