My friend Dean in Happy Valley, Oregon, is an amazing human being. His local native animals agree with me since he has added dozens of native plants to his suburban yard/garden.
Dean has shown that even a well-manicured yard can employ native plantings to support native fauna.
Along the left and front of his front yard, he has western columbine, large-leaved avens, Oregon iris, red paintbrush, and more.
He has a row of native shrubs along one whole side of his house, including Oregon grape, Lewis’ philadelphus, serviceberry, ninebark, vine maple, and more.
His backyard, though, is the most impressive. He planted a new native plant garden last fall with dozens of plants, including lupines, goldenrods, penstemons, grasses, prunella, sagebrush, blue-eyed grass, and more. Many of these are blooming in their first spring, and others are just putting on growth. He has a huge stand of Douglas aster in the same garden that provides hundreds of late-summer blooms for native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
The Lupinus rivularis were blooming on a recent visit–such a wonderful plant in flower, leaf, and structure.
I had to most fun watching and photographing the native bumble bees on the spectacular penstemon plants.
Dean’s yard hosts many bird species, including chickadees, finches, scrub jays, crows, hummingbirds, robins, and song sparrows, to name a few. We often see eagles and hawks flying overhead. There are deer, coyotes, raccoons, and rabbits in the neighborhood. Hopefully, neighbors will start to share in Dean’s enthusiasm for native plants. The large lots in his neighborhood have so much potential! Luckily, the Portland area has no shortage of native plant nurseries.