Backyard habitat
"In the world I envision, landscaping practices will no longer degrade local ecosystems. Landscaping will become synonymous with ecological restoration." Douglas Tallamy 2020
Since 2019, I have spent hundreds of hours removing invasive plants on our property and replacing them with native herbs, shrubs, ferns and trees. With more than 60 native species to date, our yard was officially certified as "natural backyard habitat" by the Portland Audubon Society in 2020. Below are pictures taken on portions of our native-scaped property.
Left to right: camas lily, Nuttall's larkspur, western wallflower, salmonberry, red flowering currant, bleeding heart, shooting star, golden currant, early blue violet
Nativescaped parts of the property including shady rain gardens and a sunny rock garden. Previously they had invasive species like goutweed and ivy, and generic plants like hostas and day lilies.
About 25% of our yard was covered in ivy before the restoration project. In this bed, the ivy was replaced with native Oregon grape, sword and deer ferns, and fringecup. My lil' guy and I are proud to get our sign!
Henderson's shooting star (Dodecatheon hendersonii)
Western columbine (Aquilegia formosa)
Camas lily (Camassia quamash)
Vanilla leaf (Achlys triphylla) and littleleaf miner's lettuce (Montia parvifolia)
Growing seedlings in winter 2020 (piggyback plant, thimbleberry, showy milkweed, and lance selfheal)
Cusick's checkermallow (Sidalcea virgata)
Fawn lily (Erythronium oregonum)
Tall Oregon grape (Mahonia aquifolium)
Siberian miner's lettuce (Claytonia sibirica)
Western trillium (Trillium ovatum)
Red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum)
Early blue violet (Viola adunca)