Also known as Marsh Blazing Star, this herbaceous perennial grows 3 to 4 feet tall. It has linear, grass-like leaves that are clumped toward the base of the plant and continue up the stem till they reach the showy flower cluster: a tall spike of rayless, densely packed, rose-purple or white flower heads. This plant grows in full sun and moist soils, and is favored by butterflies as well as hummingbirds.
Also known as Prairie Blazing Star, Cat-Tail Gayfeather is a perennial, herbaceous plant that grows 2 to 5 feet tall. Nearly half of the plant is the flower spike, which produces rayless, rose-purple flower heads that bloom downward on a coarse, hairy, and leafy stem. This plant grows in full sun and in dry to moist, well-drained soils.
Dotted Gayfeather, or Dotted Blazing Star, is a purple or white, perennial herb that grows one or more erect stems up to 3 feet tall. The leaves are very narrow and grass-like, up to 4 inches long near the base of the plant, and becoming smaller as they ascend the stem. Its fruit is a small dark seed with a tuft of light brown hair to carry it off in the wind. Dotted Gayfeather grows in full sun and dry, well-drained, and sandy soils.
A perennial, evergreen shrub, Creosote-Bush grows 3 to 10 feet tall with numerous flexible stems arising from the base at an angle. Also known as Greasewood and Hediondilla, it produces small, dark to yellow-green leaves that are aromatic and often sticky with resin. The flowers rarely bloom except under favorable conditions, namely partial shade and dry, well-drained, and loose sand or loam soils.
Western Larch or Western Tamarack is a large, deciduous tree that grows up to 200 feet tall at maturity. Its reddish brown bark is thin and scaly when young, becoming thick, plated, and deeply furrowed when older. The leaves are needle-like and light green, turning bright yellow in the fall. This perennial tree grows in full sun and wet soils, and produces seeds that are an important food source for birds.
Also known as Texas Lantana, and Calico Bush, this spreading shrub grows prickled branches and light gray to light brown, flaky bark. Its tubular flowers form in clusters of red, orange, and yellow, before maturing to round, fleshy fruit that is dark blue to black. Though birds greatly enjoy these berries, they are poisonous to most mammals, including humans. This plant is highly drought tolerant, growing in full sun and poor, well-drained soils, though it may die back to the roots during cold winters.
Also known as the Arizona Water-willow, this perennial, evergreen shrub grows erectly to 4 by 3 feet in size. It produces bright red, tubular flowers that are especially attractive to hummingbirds. This plant grows in full to partial sun, and in sandy, well-drained soil, requiring a moderate amount of water.
Otherwise known as Beloperone and Chuparosa, this sprawling, attractive shrub grows to 3 by 4 feet in size with red, tubular flowers, though a yellow variety exists as well. Growing in full sun and dry, rocky soils, this perennial plant is very hardy, drought tolerant, and an excellent plant for hummingbirds.
Also known as Virginia Juniper, Red Juniper, Pencil Cedar, Carolina Cedar, Red Savin, and Baton Rouge, this evergreen, fragrant tree varies in color from gray-green to blue-green to light or dark green. It grows 30 to 40 feet tall typically, though it can reach up to 90 feet, with soft, silvery bark covering the single trunk. Growing in full sun to shade, and in dry soils, it is the most widely distributed eastern conifer, and is resistant to extremes of drought, heat, and cold. Pale blue fruits on female plants, combined with dense foliage make this plant excellent for birds.
Common names for this tree also include Mountain Red Cedar, Colorado Red Cedar, River Juniper, and Western Juniper. This is a broad, pyramidal tree with shedding, red-brown bark and scale-like, light blue-green to dark green foliage that lies flat against the branches. Rocky Mountain Juniper grows up to 40 feet tall and 15 feet wide, providing cover, nesting site, and seeds for many bird and mammal species. It grows in full sun to partial shade, and tolerates drought and salt spray, as well as a variety of dry soil types, including rocky, sandy, loamy, and clay soils.
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