Regional planting guide
Exact species from trusted regional guides, ordered to bring complementary habitat roles forward.
“North American native” is still a continental description, not proof a plant is native where you live. Confirm your ecoregion and current state or local guidance before planting.
We recommend choosing at least three species from each early, mid, and late bloom period where site size allows.
Five-role coverage
Nectar & pollen
6 plants
Host plants & nestling food
5 plants
Seeds & berries
Add separately
Layered cover
2 plants
Winter structure
2 plants
early season · mid season
Lupinus albifrons
A low-water Sierra Foothills species supporting bumble bees and butterfly larvae.
Habitat roles
early season · mid season
Philadelphus lewisii
A woody early-to-mid bloom source that also supports beneficial insects and larvae.
Habitat roles
This recommended species is not yet available in Sow’s plant catalog.
early season · mid season
Mimulus guttatus
An early-to-mid-season Sierra Foothills species for moist sites.
Habitat roles
mid season
Eriogonum nudum
A low-water Sierra Foothills buckwheat supporting pollinators, beneficial insects, and caterpillars.
Habitat roles
mid season · late season
Eriogonum umbellatum
A low-water buckwheat carrying Sierra Foothills habitat value from mid into late season.
Habitat roles
mid season · late season
Madia elegans
An annual extending Sierra Foothills flowers from the middle into the late bloom period.
Habitat roles
How to use this page
Start with your region, then cover early, mid, and late bloom. A single “pollinator plant” cannot provide a season of habitat.
Match sunlight, soil moisture, mature size, and hardiness. Ecological value is most useful when the species also fits the conditions of the planting site.
Recheck current state and local guidance before buying, because plant classifications and recommendations can change over time.
Why plant choice must be narrowed to an ecoregion rather than treated as continent-wide.
The recommended next step for a ZIP-code and ecoregion-specific plant list.
Support for planning a succession of bloom from early spring through fall.
Exact California Sierra Foothills species, bloom periods, and ecological roles.
Ranks locally native plant genera by the butterflies and moths they host, connecting host plants to caterpillars and the birds that eat them.
Connects native tree and shrub cover and leaf litter with winter bird abundance and feeding activity in residential yards.
Guidance for combining native trees, understory plants, and leaf litter into sheltered habitat where insects can complete their life cycles.
Guidance for retaining natural nesting and overwintering features such as stems, seed heads, wood, soil, and leaf litter.
Connects fruit- and seed-bearing plants, retained flower heads, shrubs, and grasses with food, shelter, and winter structure for birds.
For a finer geographic match, use the Pollinator Partnership Find Your Roots tool.
Save exact species, check mature size and hardiness, then place them in a design you can keep refining.
