PLANTS: Meet the Community Beneath the Canopy
Are you a student, guide, artist, scientist, culture bearer, local organization, or resident with an experience to contribute?
The vision is alive. Here is the doorway where your knowledge, community, or organization can help it grow: (click buttons below)
- Plant a sugar pine
Tahoe-area restoration sites: Help restore Tahoe’s native white-pine forests through volunteer planting events. - Join a Sugar Pine Foundation educational hike
Learn how native trees communicate, survive wildfire, support wildlife, and respond to climate change. - Become a plant citizen scientist
Observe seasonal changes such as budding, flowering, cone production, and leaf fall through Nature’s Notebook. - Meet One Tree
Sit beside one tree for ten minutes. Notice its bark, scent, shape, neighbors, signs of stress, and the life it shelters.
Are you a student, guide, artist, scientist, culture bearer, local organization, or resident with an experience to contribute?
The vision is alive. Here is the doorway where your knowledge, community, or organization can help it grow: (click buttons below)
The mosaic of the plants that color the land…
The Lake Tahoe and Sierra Nevada region boasts an incredible diversity of flora, with over 2,000 species of wildflowers and native plants calling the area home. [1, 2]
The high concentration of species is due to the basin's varying elevations, moisture levels, and rich volcanic and granitic soils. Depending on where and when you explore, you will encounter a wide variety of these native blooms:
The Lake Tahoe Basin is home to dozens of native shrub species, with over 120 shrub varieties historically cataloged in the South Lake Tahoe region. The basin contains several distinct shrub-dominated ecosystems, ranging from pine-dominated shrub understories to high-elevation alpine scrub. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Because plant life crosses over between sub-shrubs, woody shrubs, and small trees (such as willow variations), exact standalone counts fluctuate by source. However, the most common native shrubs found in the Tahoe Basin include: [1]
For a complete breakdown of local plant life or for advice on integrating specific native shrubs into landscaping (such as for creating defensible fire space), the Tahoe & Sierra Valley Chapter | California Native Plant Society and the Tahoe Living With Fire - Backyard Native Plants guide offer great resources. [1]
The high concentration of species is due to the basin's varying elevations, moisture levels, and rich volcanic and granitic soils. Depending on where and when you explore, you will encounter a wide variety of these native blooms:
- Early Summer (Lake Level, June–July): Watch for the towering bright yellow Wooly Mule’s Ear, vibrant purple and white Lupine, crimson Columbine, and the striking, parasitic Snow Plant (which pushes through the melting snow). [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
- Mid-to-Late Summer (High Elevations, July–August): At higher trails like Mt. Rose and Desolation Wilderness, you'll find Fireweed, Indian Paintbrush, and the unique magenta Elephant's Head. [1, 2, 3]
The Lake Tahoe Basin is home to dozens of native shrub species, with over 120 shrub varieties historically cataloged in the South Lake Tahoe region. The basin contains several distinct shrub-dominated ecosystems, ranging from pine-dominated shrub understories to high-elevation alpine scrub. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Because plant life crosses over between sub-shrubs, woody shrubs, and small trees (such as willow variations), exact standalone counts fluctuate by source. However, the most common native shrubs found in the Tahoe Basin include: [1]
- Manzanita (Greenleaf and Pinemat)
- Bitterbrush
- Big Sagebrush
- Tobacco Brush (Snowbrush)
- Western Serviceberry
- Huckleberry Oak
- Mountain Mahogany [1, 3]
For a complete breakdown of local plant life or for advice on integrating specific native shrubs into landscaping (such as for creating defensible fire space), the Tahoe & Sierra Valley Chapter | California Native Plant Society and the Tahoe Living With Fire - Backyard Native Plants guide offer great resources. [1]
6,100 trees and counting! Keep up the good work! With the help of amazing volunteers from the community and the visitors who love Lake Tahoe, an incredible 6100+ trees and been planted this spring! Wondering how your seedling is doing? Wonder no longer, join us for one our watering events and check the health of your tree! The fun never ends, stay tuned to our Calendar for updates and some fun events in the sun! Giant Sugar Pines, Red Fir, River Marsh Mint and Yellow Cress serve the needs of the watershed and add to the beauty. Sugar pines are the largest pine trees in the world with the longest cones. They used to be 25% of Tahoe’s forest, but an invasive bug has reduced their numbers to less then 5%. The Sugar Pine Foundation leads the ongoing effort to replant healthy seedlings in critical places around the Lake. these trees also play a vital role in maintaining water clarity.
Check out ongoing planting events on their website: http://www.sugarpinefoundation.org/events
Check out ongoing planting events on their website: http://www.sugarpinefoundation.org/events
