An infographic showing examples of invasive versus native plants

Have you ever been in a new area looking for a place to eat or sleep?  Where nothing looks familiar except for McDonalds or Burger King when you'd really like a substantial nutritious meal?  Welcome to the world of our pollinators when faced with a non-native flower garden or yard.

Not all plants provide the same benefit to animals, birds, and pollinators.  They provide varying levels of energy, nutrients, and vitamins based on the type of animal, bird or pollinator that they attract.  A plant that is not in its native area is like a food desert; it provides neither food nor homes to the native wildlife and pollinators because they don't recognize it as such.

Plant native plants and you'll increase the amount of wildlife and pollinators that visit you.  Plant natives and you'll reduce erosion because their root structure is better adapted to keeping our soil in place.  You'll save money on pesticides because native plants like our climate and are better able to resist disease and pests.  Native animals, birds, and pollinators will keep your plants healthy underground and aboveground in exchange for the food and shelter that provided by the native plants.

Want to know what is native to our area?  Check out the resources below or google "PNW Native Plants" or "Oregon Native Plants".

Where can you get native plants?  Try our Trees for Streams program if your property has a stream or raingarden.  We get cleaner cooler water in our streams and you get free trees, shrubs, and grasses to make the area by your stream a great outdoor living space.  A list of nurseries that carry native plants is available at plantnative.org