Bird-Friendly Trees of Northern Nevada

TREES INCLUDED IN THIS GUIDE:

​

• Acer circinatum: Vine Maple
• Acer glabrum: Rocky Mountain Maple
• Acer macrophyllum: Big-Leaf Maple 
• Acer negundo: Ash-Leaf Maple 
• Aesculus californica: California Buckeye 
• Alnus rhombifolia: White Alder 
• Amelanchier alnifolia: Saskatoon Service-Berry 
• Cornus alba: Red Osier (Dogwood) 
• Crataegus douglasii: Black Hawthorn 
• Juniperus scopulorum: Rocky Mountain Juniper 
• Prunus emarginata: Bitter Cherry 
• Prunus virginiana: Choke Cherry 
• Pseudotsuga menziesii: Douglas-Fir 
• Salix scouleriana: Scouler's Willow 
• Shepherdia argentea: Silver Buffalo Berry 
• Sorbus scopulina: Cascade Mountain-Ash ​

DOWNLOAD THE PDF GUIDE HERE

​The table below contains a comprehensive list of trees native to Northern Nevada and the surrounding areas. The information from this table was sourced from the National Audubon's Native Plant Finder. If you would like a list of plants more specific to your zip code, use the Native Plant Finder and input your zip code for your own list of plants. 

Plants can have multiple common names but their scientific names are standardized. Some people prefer to find plants by their scientific name, while others prefer common. That is why we alternatively listed the plants each of the handouts in alphabetical order by their common name. See the list above to find plants in the guide by their scientific name.

If you would like to see pictures of each of the plant, use the .pdf guide or if you are using the web guide, click on the link at the bottom of the description for each plant.

 

PLANT

DESCRIPTION

BIRDS ATTRACTED

Ash-Leaf Maple (Acer negundo)	This fast-growing and fairly short-lived perennial tree, also known as Box Elder, reaches 80 feet in height. It often has several trunks and can form thickets that grow greenish yellow leaves with a March to April bloom time. This tree grows in full sun, in medium to wet soil, and produces winged seeds that birds and squirrels feed on. It tolerates a variety of soils including dry and clay soil, but is intolerant to shade.	Grosbeaks and Buntings, Wrens, Crows & Jays, Woodpeckers, Sparrows, Finches, Chickadees & Titmice, Waxwings, Orioles, Wood Warblers, Vireos, Nuthatches, Thrushes, Mockingbirds & Thrashers.
Big-Leaf Maple (Acer macrophyllum)	This deciduous tree usually grows 20 to 75 feet tall with a large, often multi-stemmed trunk, a loose, broad crown, and leaves that are the largest of all the maples. Its glossy, dark green foliage turns an attractive yellow-orange in the fall, and its fruit, sweet-tasting flowers, and sap are favored by surrounding wildlife including deer and squirrels. This tree can grow in full sun to shade, and in cool, dry to moist soils.	Cardinals & Grosbeaks, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens
Bitter Cherry (Prunus emarginata)	Bitter Cherry is a deciduous, perennial shrub that can grow up to 50 feet tall, often forming thickets. It produces white flowers in the spring, followed by extremely bitter, red fruits that are inedible to humans but a favorite of birds. This plant tolerates full sun to partial shade and has low water requirements.	Orioles, Vireos, Woodpeckers, Crows & Jays, Nuthatches, Chickadees & Titmice, Waxwings, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Thrushes, Wrens, Grosbeaks and Buntings, Sparrows, Wood Warblers
Black Hawthorn (Crataegus douglasii)	Black Hawthorn is a medium-sized shrub that grows 6 to 30 feet tall with thorns and stout branches. Dense clusters of white flowers appear in May and June followed by shiny, purple to black fruits, attracting butterflies and birds. This plant grows best in moist soils and in full sun to partial shade, the best fruit production occurring in full sun.	Grosbeaks & Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens

California Buckeye (Aesculus californica)	This tree grows 10 to 40 feet in height, and up to 40 feet in crown diameter with silvery-gray bark and dark green foliage. It produces fragrant, white to pale pink flowers from May to July and loses its leaves in the fall and winter. Drought tolerant, this tree can survive in full to partial sun and in poor, dry soils. Though edible to chipmunks and squirrels, the seeds of this plant are toxic to humans if eaten, while the nectar and pollen are poisonous to bees.		Cardinals & Grosbeaks, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens
Cascade Mountain-Ash (Sorbus scopulina)	Also called Green’s or Western Mountain-Ash, this small, shrub-like tree can reach up to 12 feet in height, either branching or as a single trunk. It produces shiny, green leaves and clusters of white flowers followed by orange-red berries that persist throughout fall and winter. Cascade Mountain-Ash prefers moist, rich soils, and can withstand full sun to shade.		Grosbeaks & Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens
Choke Cherry (Prunus virginiana)		This perennial, deciduous shrub or small tree grows 20 to 30 feet tall with reddish-brown twigs. The red cherries become black as they ripen from July through August, and provide an important source of food for browsers, small mammals, and many species of birds. It grows in dry to moist, well-drained loams, in full sun to partial shade, and is tolerant to drought and dry/shallow-rocky soil. Choke Cherry is also a larval host for many species of butterflies and moths.		Orioles, Vireos, Woodpeckers, Chickadees & Titmice, Waxwings, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Thrushes, Wrens, Grosbeaks and Buntings, Sparrows, Wood Warblers, Crows & Jays, Nuthatches

Douglas-Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

This evergreen is a classic Pacific Northwest fir that grows 15 to 100 feet in height, sometimes even 150 feet depending on the environment. Douglas Fir, or Blue Douglas Fir, can be grown in almost any native soil but will sometimes blow down if planted in shallow soils. It is fast-growing, preferring full sun to partial shade and moist conditions. Anyone who has had a Douglas Fir in their home knows that this tree drops needles constantly.

Grosbeaks & Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens

Red Osier (Dogwood) (Cornus alba)

Also called Dogwood, this deciduous shrub grows 8 to 10 feet tall and develops showy, vibrant red stems during the fall and winter. Clusters of small, white flowers appear in the late spring before subsequent bluish-white berries. The plant grows best in full sun to partial shade, in moist, well-drained soils, but can tolerate wet, dry, and poor soils. Its flowers attract pollinators such as butterflies, while the fruit is a great source of food for birds.

Crows & Jays, Wrens, Woodpeckers, Nuthatches, Wood Warblers, Sparrows, Chickadees & Titmice, Thrushes, Waxwings, Vireos, Mockingbirds & Thrashers,  Grosbeaks and Buntings, Orioles

Rocky Mountain Juniper (Juniperus scopulorum)	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.	Wrens, Thrushes, Nuthatches, Sparrows,  Grosbeaks and Buntings, Crows & Jays, Wood Warblers, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Waxwings, Orioles, Finches, Chickadees & Titmice
Rocky Mountain Maple (Acer glabrum)	Rocky Mountain maple is a large, deciduous shrub or small tree that grows 10 to 30 feet tall, but can reach up to 50 feet. Its bark is smooth and gray, its twigs reddish in color, and while its flowers are not noticeable, they are rather aromatic. It is naturally found in moist, open coniferous forests and riparian forests, growing in full sun and well-drained, rocky soils. Deer and livestock browse its shiny foliage.	Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Thrushes, Orioles, Chickadees & Titmice, Finches, Wood Warblers, Nuthatches, Sparrows,  Grosbeaks and Buntings, Crows & Jays, Wrens, Woodpeckers, Vireos, Waxwings
Saskatoon Service-Berry (Amelanchier alnifolia)	Also known as Western Serviceberry, Juneberry, or simply Saskatoon, this shrub-like tree is relatively small, producing light green leaves that turn red and orange in the fall. Fragrant, white flowers bloom in the spring, followed by blue berries. Growing 2 to 18 feet tall, this perennial does best in dry to moist, well-drained soils, and can withstand full sun to shade. All native species of Amelanchier are popular with birds that eat fruit.	Grosbeaks and Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens

Scouler's Willow (Salix scouleriana)	Scouler’s Willow is a deciduous shrub or small tree that can reach up to 45 feet in height, with dark green leaves that are nearly hairless above and hairy below. Its flowers are tiny and grouped in catkins, which then give way to light reddish-brown, long-pointed seed capsules. This fast-growing plant does well in full sun to shade and in moist to dry soils.	Grosbeaks and Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens
Silver Buffalo Berry (Shepherdia argentea)	Silver Buffalo-Berry, or simply Buffaloberry, is a deciduous shrub that grows up to 20 feet tall with spiny twigs. Its leaves are green with a covering of fine, silky, silvery hairs, while its flowers are pale yellow with no petals, leading to bright red, fleshy fruit. This perennial plant is low maintenance, tolerating poor soils, drought, and extreme cold, though it grows best in full sun and in dry to moist, rocky, sandy, or clayey soils.	Vireos, Waxwings, Orioles, Crows & Jays, Woodpeckers, Thrushes, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Wood Warblers, Chickadees & Titmice, Wrens, Sparrows, Cardinals & Buntings

Vine Maple (Acer circinatum)

Vine Maple, or Oregon Vine Maple, is a multi-stemmed understory shrub or small tree with sprawling branches that reroot, sometimes forming a clump or thicket. Usually reaching about 20 feet in height, Vine Maple bears wine-red flowers in the spring and provides handsome red and orange fall color. The two-winged samara fruits ripen to red in the summer and attract many species of birds and mammals. This perennial, deciduous tree grows in partial shade and moist soils, but will tolerate drier conditions.

Grosbeaks & Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens

White Alder (Alnus rhombifolia)

White Alder is a deciduous tree with pale green foliage and smooth, whitish to gray bark that grows up to 90 feet tall, usually found close to water. It produces catkins in the fall that, along with its buds, are important food sources for birds and pollinators. This tree grows quickly as well as fixes nitrogen, thriving in partial shade, and in moist to wet soils.

Grosbeaks & Buntings, Chickadees & Titmice, Crows & Jays, Finches, Mockingbirds & Thrashers, Nuthatches, Orioles, Sparrows, Thrushes, Vireos, Waxwings, Wood Warblers, Woodpeckers, Wrens

 

 

Photo of California Scrub Jay Courtesy of Jeff Bleam