Native Colorado Plants That Attract Birds

Creating a bird-friendly landscape in Northern Colorado brings the joy of birdsong to your outdoor spaces and supports local ecosystems. By incorporating native Colorado plants into your landscape design, you'll attract a diverse array of birds while maintaining a sustainable, water-wise garden that thrives in our unique climate. Whether you're watching goldfinches feast on seed heads or listening to the melodic songs of various songbirds, a thoughtfully designed landscape using plants that attract birds transforms your yard into a vibrant wildlife sanctuary.

Native Colorado Trees That Attract Birds

Trees form the backbone of any bird-friendly landscape, providing nesting sites, shelter, and food sources throughout the seasons. In Northern Colorado, native trees offer the benefit of being perfectly adapted to our climate while requiring less water and maintenance than non-native alternatives.

Gambel Oak

Gambel Oak (Quercus gambelii) is one of the most valuable native Colorado plants supporting bird populations. This deciduous tree produces acorns that feed numerous bird species, including wild turkeys, jays, and woodpeckers. Its dense branching structure provides excellent nesting habitat and protective cover. In fall, Gambel Oak's stunning orange and red foliage adds visual interest while its acorns ripen, creating a natural bird feeder in your landscape.

Ponderosa Pine

The majestic Ponderosa Pine (Pinus ponderosa) attracts seed-eating birds like nuthatches, chickadees, and crossbills, who feast on its pine seeds. These evergreen giants provide year-round shelter and nesting sites, making them especially valuable during harsh Northern Colorado winters. Their distinctive vanilla-scented bark and towering presence create vertical interest in landscape designs while supporting diverse bird communities.

Blue Spruce

Colorado's state tree, the Blue Spruce (Picea pungens), offers dense evergreen coverage that birds rely on for winter protection and summer nesting. Its seed-bearing cones attract finches and grosbeaks, while its thick branches provide safe roosting spots. The Blue Spruce's striking blue-silver needles add year-round color and texture to landscapes while serving as a cornerstone species for bird habitat.

Native Colorado Shrubs That Attract Birds

Shrubs create the vital middle layer in bird-friendly landscapes, offering berries, seeds, and protected nesting areas at heights accessible to many bird species. These native options thrive in Northern Colorado's challenging conditions while providing essential resources for our feathered friends.

Serviceberry

Serviceberry (Amelanchier alnifolia) produces sweet, purple berries that birds love. Cedar waxwings, robins, and various thrush species flock to these shrubs in summer when berries ripen. Beyond its wildlife value, Serviceberry offers spectacular white spring blooms and brilliant orange-red fall color, making it a four-season landscape standout.

Chokecherry

Despite its name, Chokecherry (Prunus virginiana) provides highly nutritious berries that over 40 bird species consume. This adaptable shrub tolerates various soil conditions and produces clusters of white flowers in spring, followed by dark purple berries. Birds often strip these shrubs clean of fruit, making Chokecherry one of the most valuable plants that attract birds in our region.

Rabbitbrush

In late summer and fall, Rabbitbrush (Ericameria nauseosa) blooms with brilliant yellow flowers when many other plants have finished flowering. These blooms attract insects that birds feed on, while their seeds provide food through winter. This drought-tolerant shrub thrives in Northern Colorado's arid conditions, adding vibrant late-season color to bird-friendly landscapes.

Native Colorado Grasses & Perennials That Attract Birds

Incorporating native grasses and perennials creates seed sources and attracts insects that birds depend on for protein, especially during nesting season. These plants add movement, texture, and seasonal interest while supporting bird populations throughout the year.

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant

Rocky Mountain Bee Plant (Cleome serrulata) produces abundant seeds that goldfinches and other small songbirds favor. Its pink to purple flowers attract numerous pollinators, creating a buffet of insects for insect-eating birds. This annual readily self-sows, ensuring a continuous food source in your bird-friendly garden.

Echinacea

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) and its native relatives offer sturdy seed heads that persist through winter, providing crucial food when other sources are scarce. Goldfinches particularly love these seeds, often performing acrobatic feats to extract them. The large, daisy-like flowers also attract beneficial insects during the growing season.

Blanketflower

Blanketflower (Gaillardia aristata) produces colorful red and yellow blooms, developing into seed heads loved by various finch species. This drought-tolerant perennial blooms continuously from summer through fall, ensuring a steady seed supply while adding vibrant color to xeriscape designs.

Planting Design for Bird Lovers With Bath Landscape

At Bath Landscape & Irrigation, our experienced designers understand how to create beautiful, functional landscapes that attract and support bird populations throughout Northern Colorado. With 60 years of expertise in sustainable landscape design, we specialize in incorporating native Colorado plants that provide year-round bird habitat while maintaining water-wise principles.

Our comprehensive design process begins with understanding your specific goals for attracting birds while considering your property's unique conditions. We create layered landscapes using native trees, shrubs, and perennials that provide food, shelter, and nesting opportunities throughout all seasons. Our designers expertly combine plants that attract birds with aesthetic considerations, ensuring your landscape is beautiful and ecologically valuable.

Contact Bath Landscape & Irrigation today to schedule a consultation and begin creating your own bird-friendly paradise using native Colorado plants ideally suited to our Northern Colorado climate.