SAN LORENZO VALLEY

Native Plant Guide

Popular San Lorenzo Valley Natives

Catkins on Corylus cornuta (beaked hazel) in winter.

Western Hazelnut

The western hazelnut is a powerhouse resource for our native fauna. It supports 45 species of butterflies and moths, and its rich little nuts, encased in...
California Huckleberry

California Huckleberry

California Huckleberry is beloved in the SLV, as seen by the fact that Felton and Boulder creek have streets named after it, and of course,...
Heuchera micrantha Coral Bells

Coral Bells

The SLV supports a native Heuchera micrantha that is not extraordinarily flashy; instead, they are charming, understated perennials that provide for native pollinators and contribute...
California Figwort / Bee Plant

California Figwort / Bee Plant

Scrophularia californica is a native plant blooming during the winter and early spring as Monarchs migrate through the San Lorenzo Valley. The brownish-magenta flowers bloom...
Dutchman's Pipe

California Pipevine / California Dutchman’s Pipe

This vine is Aristolochia californica, also known as California Pipevine and California Dutchman’s Pipe. It is the only larval host plant for the Pipevine Swallowtail,...
California Hedgenettle

California Hedgenettle

Stachys bullata is a native perennial herb in the mint family. Despite its common name, it does not sting like true nettles. Instead, it offers...
California Buckwheat

California Buckwheat

Eriogonum is a keystone species for sagebrush scrub ecosystems and an excellent choice for wildlife and butterfly gardens. Once established, it is highly drought tolerant....
Baby Blue Eyes

Baby Blue Eyes

Nemophila menziesii is an herb easily grown from seed. Its cup-shaped blossom is cornflower blue etched with blue veins and a black dotted white center....
California Poppy

California Poppy

Eschscholzia californica is the California state flower, and deservedly so. As John Steinbeck wrote in East of Eden, “California poppies ... are of a burning...
Milkmaids

Milkmaids

Milkmaids are ecologically important, providing food and habitat for a variety of wildlife, including insects, birds, and small mammals. They are one of the first...