Yes. No email, no account, no ads.

Where do the plant recommendations come from?

USDA PLANTS for native ranges, Doug Tallamy's research and the National Wildlife Federation's Native Plant Finder for ecological value, plus Audubon's Plants for Birds database and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for regional fit.

Are these all native plants?

Yes. Every recommendation is genuinely native to the area associated with your ZIP code.

Why is this bird-driven instead of plant-driven?

Most planners start with your climate zone and give you a generic native plant list. This one starts with the birds you actually want to attract, then filters plants to the ones that support those species.

Plants for Birds in Washington

Native Washington plants that genuinely support the birds you want in your yard.

Washington runs from the temperate rainforests of the Olympic Peninsula to the high desert east of the Cascades. American Goldfinches — the state bird — flash through gardens west of the mountains. Rufous Hummingbirds buzz the salmonberry every May. And the Columbia Basin and Skagit Flats pull in waterfowl and shorebirds by the hundreds of thousands during fall migration.

Native Washington plants do work that turf grass and big-box ornamentals can't. They host the caterpillars and insects that 96% of Washington songbirds rely on to feed their chicks. Western hemlocks, Douglas-firs, vine maples, salal, and the wildflowers of the Cascades and Columbia Basin built the state's bird communities — and many natives are uniquely adapted to the state's wet winters and dry summers.

Enter your Washington ZIP code in the tool below. The planner will filter every plant in our database to the ones genuinely native to your part of Washington — Olympic Peninsula, Puget Sound, Cascades, Columbia Basin, or Palouse — and useful for the birds you actually want. Pick the species — American Goldfinches, Rufous Hummingbirds, Sandhill Cranes, or all of them — and we'll give you a plant list that does the work.

Native Washington plants that genuinely support birds

A few of the most useful native Washington plants for birds:

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla) — Washington's state tree. Cover for kinglets, Varied Thrushes, chickadees.
Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) — Cover for Pine Siskins, kinglets; seeds for crossbills.
Big-leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum) — Hosts hundreds of caterpillar species; cavity habitat as it matures.
Pacific Madrone (Arbutus menziesii) — Cover and fall berries for waxwings, robins, Varied Thrushes.
Vine Maple (Acer circinatum) — Hosts many caterpillars; cover in coastal and Cascade forests.
Red Flowering Currant (Ribes sanguineum) — Spring scarlet blooms — perfectly timed for returning Rufous Hummingbirds.
Salmonberry (Rubus spectabilis) — Spring nectar; summer fruit for many forest birds.
Salal (Gaultheria shallon) — Coastal shrub. Berries for many forest birds.
Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) — Blue berries for waxwings and robins.
Western Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) — Spring nectar, summer fruit for many birds.
Sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) — Eastern Washington habitat for Sage Thrashers and Brewer's Sparrows.
Showy Milkweed (Asclepias speciosa) — Host plant for monarchs.

This is a state-wide overview. For a list tailored to your garden:

Enter your Washington ZIP and pick the birds you actually want. The planner filters every plant in our database down to the ones native to your part of Washington and genuinely useful for your birds.

What's your ZIP code?

We'll show you native plants that are genuinely native to your area and rank them by which birds they support.

US ZIP code

Free. No email. We'll filter every plant in the database to those actually native to your state and suited to your USDA zone.

Better With Birds

Shop the birds you love

If you're already this excited about Washington birds, you're going to like the apparel, prints, and stickers we've designed around them.

American Goldfinches, Rufous Hummingbirds, Sandhill Cranes, Anna's Hummingbirds — all illustrated and designed by Jaymi at Better With Birds. Made-to-order, never mass-printed.