Noxious weeds of 
Skagit county Video

Grand Fir

Evergreen Height: 140-200 ft Light: Mostly Shade – Part Shade Moisture: Dry to  Moist

Grand Fir (Also known as lowland white fir, silver fir, balsam fir, or yellow fir) is a rapid-growing tree that is relatively short-lived, living less than 300 years. It is shade tolerant and grows from moist river valleys to dry forests. Wildlife benefits from the trees shelter and seeds and it is a butterfly larval host.

Abies grandis

Noble Fir

Evergreen Height: 100-200 ft Light: Part Shade – Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist

Noble Fir is the largest American fir and the largest of the true firs which needs a large, wide open landscape setting. Because of its quality and strength, the wood of the noble fir is valued over the wood of other true firs. It is also considered an excellent Christmas tree. In addition to food, it provides cover and thermal protection for wildlife.

Abies procera

Incense Cedar

Evergreen Height: around 60', but up to 200' Light: Full to Part Sun Moisture: Dry - Moist

Note: This species is being offered for conservation purposes, although not native to Skagit. Drought tolerant when established. One of the most distinctive features of the Incense Cedar is its striking reddish-brown bark, which emanates a fragrance reminiscent of vanilla and cinnamon when touched or crushed.

Calocedrus decurrens

Port Orford Cedar

Evergreen Height: 150-200 ft Light: Mostly Shade – Part Shade Moisture: Wet to Moist 

Port Orford cedar is from the coastal ranges of far northwestern California and southern Oregon. Though limited in it’s native range it is very adaptable to many climate zones throughout the country and has shown considerable cold tolerance in interior climates. 

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana

Sitka Spruce

Evergreen Height: 100 – 150 ft, up to 200 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun  Moisture: Moist - Wet

Also known also as tideland spruce, coast spruce, and yellow spruce, it is a long-lived tree (more than 800 years) that can grow over 200 ft tall. It is the largest species of spruce and the fifth-largest conifer in the world. It is known for being extremely tolerant of poor conditions and once established, it is fast-growing (up to 3 feet per year). It is tolerant of salt and is the most tolerant spruce for warm, humid conditions. It supports hummingbirds and beneficial insects and are a caterpillar host plant and larval food source.

Picea sitchensis

Shore Pine

Evergreen Height: 35-100ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Wet

A relatively short pine tree, often with crooked trunk and bushy habit which grows along coastal bluffs, dry mountain forests and rocky areas, and in sand dunes and sphagnum bogs.

Pinus Contorta

Western White pine

Evergreen Height: up to 250 ft Light: Full Sun Moisture: Dry - Moist

This large pine does best in large open spaces. It thrives on a wide variety of sites, from peat bogs to dry sandy soils and rocky earth, but they grow best in moist valleys and on gentle slopes. Pines are second only to oaks in their food value to wildlife and are a butterfly host species.

Pinus monticola

Douglas Fir

Evergreen Height: 100-150 and up to 290 ft  Light: Sun-Part Shade Moisture: Dry – Moist, well-drained soils. 

Douglas-fir trees, sometimes called red firs, Oregon pines, and Douglas spruce, are neither true fir trees nor pines nor spruces. The genus name Pseudotsuga means “false hemlock,” referencing another kind of tree they resemble.

Pseudotsuga menziesii

Giant Sequoia

Evergreen Height: up to 300 ft Light: Full Sun Moisture: Dry - Moist

Native to California, this species is being offered for conservation purposes. While neither the tallest nor the widest tree known, giant sequoia is the world’s largest tree in total mass. Under optimal conditions, a tree will reach a height of 250-275 feet and a diameter of fifteen to twenty feet. The largest giant sequoias may reach heights of 350 feet, diameters of thirty-five feet with root spreads of 400 feet in diameter, and ages of more than 3,000 years. The roots of giant sequoia develop rapidly, which can increase the tree’s stability but makes transplanting difficult. Due to its majestic stature, giant sequoia should only be planted in areas with abundant space. Giant sequoia is intolerant of shade and benefits from plenty of sunlight.

Sequoiadendron giganteum

Western Red Cedar

Evergreen Height: 150-200 ft Light: Shade to Part Shade Moisture: Moist to Wet

This species grows best on seepage and alluvial sites. It can grow in drier habitats as long as it's not too dry.  Western red cedar is an important tree in Native American cultures, and is the provincial tree emblem for British Columbia.

Thuja plicata

Vine Maple

Deciduous Height: up to 25 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Wet Bloom: Pink-white, March-June

Vine maple is planted in forested riparian habitats to help reduce erosion. Vine maples do well under a shade canopy and also in sunny locations. Birds and small mammals rely on the flowers, buds, and seeds. This plant is a larvae source for the brown tissue moth and the Polyphemus moth, as well as a good nectar source for bees.

Acer circinatum

Douglas Maple

Deciduous Height: up to 32 ft. Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Dry-Moist Bloom: May -June

Able to withstand drier, colder, sunnier sites than Vine Maple. Adapts to a wide range of conditions, tolerant of poor soils, drought, and strong winds. Fire resistant.

Acer glabrum

Big Leaf Maple

Deciduous Height: Up to 80 ft Light: Sun- Part Shade Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: March- June, early bloom for pollinators 

Often found growing in disturbed areas like land cleared by fire or logging, Acer macrophyllum will sprout quickly from its stump and can grow over three meters in a year. Big-leaf maples often grow with many trunks and will drop its lower branches as it matures. This creates many nooks and crannies in the tree, providing ideal housing for birds and small mammals. Its deeply ridged bark creates and ideal habitat for epiphytes (plants that grow on trees without soil), including many species of mosses and lichens as well as the Licorice Fern,

Acer macrophyllum

Pacific Serviceberry

Deciduous Height: up to 15 ft. Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Dry - Moist Bloom: April – July

A thicket forming shrub or small tree that provides year-round interest in the landscape, as well as producing edible fruits. They also called shadbush, juneberry and saskatoon in different areas of the country. Their roots aren’t aggressive, so understory plants that prefer partial shade, can easily be planted under them. The white flowers in late spring become a sweet fruit similar to blueberries. Fire resistant.

Amelanchier alnifolia

Birch

Deciduous Height: up to 80 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Moist, well-drained soils Bloom: April - June

A small to medium-sized deciduous tree with attractive white, peeling, papery bark which grows in marshes, wetlands, along bog margins, and in forests and woods.

Betula papyrifera

Pacific Dogwood

Deciduous Height: up to 66 ft Moisture: Moist, well drained Light: Part Shade - Sun Bloom: April - June

Douglas fir timber is of great commercial importance for lumber and are widely grown for Christmas trees.

Cornus nuttallii

Red Osier Dogwood

Deciduous Height: up to 20 ft Light: Shade – Sun Moisture: Moist – Wet Bloom: White, May – June

Red osier-dogwood is an excellent plant for restoration purposes.  It is easy to propagate, grows quickly, and has wildlife value. It does well in areas that are seasonally inundated with water. It has a fibrous root system which is great for soil stabilization. This dogwood is an excellent shrub to plant along sunny edges and in deciduous canopy shade because it is sun-loving and shade tolerant. 

Cornus stolonifera

Beaked Hazelnut

Deciduous Height: 15 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist, well-drained Bloom: January - March

Pollinated by the wind, hazelnut is the earliest shrub to bloom. This an attractive shub handles a wide variety of conditions. Edible nuts ripen September to October. Drought tolerant and fire-resistant.

Corylus cornuta

Black Hawthorn

Deciduous Height: up to 45 ft Light: sun - part shade Moisture Requirements: moist - wet Bloom: May-June

Spread readily by root suckers, planted as a hedge, Hawthorns can create an impenetrable, thorny thicket. Bloom: May-June. Fruits; mid-July through August. Fire-resistant.

Crataegus douglasii

Oregon ash

Deciduous Height: up to 80 ft. Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Moist-Wet Bloom: April – May. 

Particularly suited to heavy soils and poorly drained areas, which are often too wet for any other tree. The winged seeds of Oregon Ash are eaten by a birds and small mammals. The foliage is food for butterfly larvae and may be consumed by passing browsers. Fire resistant.

Fraxinus latifolia

Oceanspray

Deciduous Height: up to 10 ft Light: Part Shade – Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: White, May-Aug.

It does exceedingly well on dry slopes and at the edge of deciduous forests of alder and cascara. It can also stand alone as a feature plant in a garden or at the back of a border. It’s fountain like clusters of lovely blooms attract hummingbirds, bees, and butterflies (and it is a butterfly host plant).

Holodiscus discolor

Tall Oregon Grape

Evergreen Height: up to 10ft Light: Shade - Full Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Yellow, March - June

Evergreen woody-stemmed shrubs with distinct holly-like leaves. Bronze-colored new growth in spring, with mounds of small, bright yellow fragrant flowers in spring, followed by clusters of round, dusky blue (edible, though often sour) fruit. Foliage often takes on a striking red to purplish cast in fall-winter.

Mahonia aquifolium

Low Oregon Grape

Evergreen Height: up to 3 ft Light: Part to full Shade Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Yellow, March - June

Low growing woody-stemmed shrubs with distinct holly-like leaves. Bronze-colored new growth in spring, with mounds of small, bright yellow fragrant flowers in spring, followed by clusters of round, dusky blue (edible, though often sour) fruit. Foliage often takes on a striking red to purplish cast in fall-winter.

Mahonia nervosa

Creeping Oregon Grape

Evergreen Height: up to 2 ft Light: Full Shade to Full Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Yellow, March - June

The lowest growing of the three, Mahonia, its leaves are more rounded and less prickly. More common east of the Cascades.

Mahonia repens

Osoberry

Deciduous Height: 5-10ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: White, February - April

Useful in restoration projects due to its wide tolerance for various shade and moisture regimes, its rapid growth, and its thicket-forming suckering habit. Despite preferring wet conditions it can withstand drought and dry conditions. Use in greenbelts and stormwater facilities for its formation of fibrous roots that help mitigate soil erosion. The flowers provide a nectar source for pollinators and the fruits are eaten by birds and mammals .

Oemleria cerasiformis

Mock Orange

Deciduous Height: 10 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: White, May – July

An upright, loosely-branched, deciduous shrub with large fragrant white flowers which grows along coastal bluffs and rocky slopes, in open forests and disturbed areas, and along forest edges, openings, or clearings. Seeds are enjoyed by many birds and flowers attract numerous pollinators.

Philadelphus lewisii

Ninebark

Deciduous Height: up to 13 ft. Light: Sun - Part Shade Moisture: Moist-Wet Bloom: April-July.

Benefits small bees, host plant for Spring Azure butterflies. It’s fibrous roots and capacity to root from un-rooted cuttings make it suitable for soil bioengineering techniques including live stakes, fascines and brush mats. It is particularly valuable for streambank and lakeshore stabilization applications. Fire resistant.

Physocarpus capitatus

Quaking Aspen

Deciduous Height: 80'  Light: Sun to part shade. Moisture: Dry-Moist.  Bloom time: April – June. 

Fire resistant. Because this tree produces slender, laterally-flattened petioles, the wind causes the leaves to appear to shake or tremble. In autumn, the leaves turn golden to yellow in color. This tree grows vigorously through spreading roots to form large clonal groves. The species is similar to the European aspen (Populus tremula) which is commonly found in landscaping and in commercial nurseries.

Populus tremuloides

Garry Oak

Deciduous Height: up to 60 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist

Garry Oak (also called White Oak) is a long lived, slow growing, deciduous tree with a well-behaved root system. Once established, it is drought-resistant, flood-tolerant, and mature trees are fire-resistant. When it comes to habitat value, Garry oaks are a species of merit, providing an incredibly rich habitat for wildlife.

Quercus garryana

Cascara

Deciduous Height: 15-35 ft Light: Shade - Part Sun Moisture: Moist - Wet  Bloom: Greenish-yellow, April-June

A widely-adaptable small tree that is a favorite for birds and suitable for the smaller urban garden; growing as a shrub to about 15 feet, it can also reach 30 feet as a small tree. The insignificant, creamy greenish-white flowers are liked by butterflies and the fruit attracts many species of birds.

Rhamnus purshiana

Pacific Rhododendron

Evergreen Height: up to 24 ft Light: Sun- Shade Moisture: Dry - Moist Bloom: Pink, May - July

This plant is good for low water use landscaping and offers erosion protection within steep watersheds. It can grow up to 26 ft in shade. This plant has a shallow root system.

Rhododendron macrophyllum

Red Flowering Currant

Deciduous. Height: Up to12 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Pink-red, March – June

Red-flowering currant tolerates poor soil and grows in sunny to partly shady areas making it a great landscaping or restoration shrub. Spring flowers provide a nectar source for hummingbirds, bees, and other pollinators. The berries are eaten by birds and mammals and many moths and butterflies use the leaves as forage during the caterpillar stage.

Ribes sanguineum

Nootka Rose

Deciduous.  Height: 3-8 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry– Moist Bloom: Pink, May - July

Spreads aggressively by rhizome. Wildlife food & shelter, host plant for numerous butterflies.

Rosa nutkana

Peafruit Rose

Deciduous.  Height: 3-6 ft Light: Part to Full Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Pink, May - July

Flowers are smaller than Nootka and usually in clusters of 2-10. Cluster rose excels in moist areas like wetlands and stream edges. Once established, its shrubby habit is ideal to create a thicket for hedge rows and to provide shelter for small birds. Clustered rose can help stabilize soil along stream banks.

Rosa pisocarpa

Thimbleberry

Deciduous Height: up to 10 ft Light: Part Shade Moisture: moist - dry, Well-drained Bloom: White, May - July.

Thimbleberry is related to raspberries and blackberries that spreads by underground rhizomes. The thornless canes can create a dense stand that is topped by large, maple-like leaves with edible red fruit that resembles a raspberry (or a thimble). Bees and other pollinators are attracted to the flowers, and the leaves are a host plant for many different species of butterflies and moths. Birds and other mammals eat the berries.

Rubus parviflorus

Salmonberry

Deciduous.  Height: up to 12 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry– Moist Bloom: Pink, April - May

Prefers part shade but can handle full sun with sufficient moisture. Spreads by branching rhizomes that form dense thickets. The stems of Salmonberry have shedding bark, similar to Pacific Ninebark which although largely unarmed, can range from having scattered prickles to being very bristly.

Rubus spectabilis

Hooker Willow

Deciduous Height: Up to 20 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: February- March

Known by the common names dune willow, coastal willow, and Hooker's willow, this plant is native to the west coast of North America from Alaska to northern California, where it grows in coastal habitat such as beaches, marshes, floodplains, and canyons. It is useful in riparian restoration and to control soil erosion.

Salix hookeriana

Pacific Willow

Deciduous Height: - 60' Light: Sun to part shade. Moist: Dry to moist sites; Bloom: February - March. 

One of our largest native willows, reaching 20-60 feet, it has excellent soil-binding and wildlife-enhancing properties. It can quickly create a canopy and competes well with invasive plants like reed canary grass. It is the easiest to identify because of its lance-shaped leaves. Its smooth branches are attractive in winter, especially in varieties that have yellow twigs. Fire resistant. Wildlife food & shelter, pollen.

Salix lucida (Also called Salix lasiandra)

Sitka Willow

Deciduous Height: Up to 30 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Moist - Wet Bloom: February- March

Native to stream banks from southern Alaska to southwestern Oregon, Sitka willow is found on or near lake shores, wetland margins, forest edges, wet openings, and clearings at low to middle elevations. Excellent for planting with live stakes. Quick growing willow that is more shrub than tree.

Salix sitchensis

Blue Elderberry

Deciduous Height: up to 30 ft Light: Sun Moisture Requirements: Dry – Moist Bloom: May-June

Blue Elderberry can be used as a hedgerow, as a screen, or planted at the edge of a forest. It is also valuable for revegetation projects, and to stabilize slopes and streambanks. It is most often grown for its edible berries and to attract birds and pollinators.

Sambucus cerulea

Douglas Spirea

Deciduous.  Height: 3-8 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry– Wet Bloom: Pink, July-August.

Commonly known as Hardhack and Steeplebush, it grows in margins of ponds, meadows, & open space at low elevation spreading by rhizomes. It will tolerate a lot of water and can become very drought tolerant. It is very aggressive, often forming dense colonies. Used for erosion control, wildlife shelter. Fire resistant.

Spiraea douglasii

Snowberry

Deciduous.  Height: 3-8 ft Light: Part Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry– Moist Bloom: Pink, May - August

Snowberry prefers well drained soils, but it can tolerate wet and dry conditions, and nutrient poor soils. Although snowberry grows best in part sun, it can also tolerate shade and full sun. Snowberry’s deep and rigorous roots make it an ideal species to plant on slopes for erosion control and along riparian zones for bank stabilization projects. The flowers attract pollinators such as hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Songbirds and bears are known to eat the winter berries. The sphinx moth (Spinx vashti) feeds on snowberry during its larval stage.

Symphoricarpos albus

Evergreen Huckleberry

Evergreen Height: 2 – 13 ft (depends on site conditions) Light: Shade - Sun Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: Pink, March-August

Beautiful foliage and edible fruit make this a must in most gardens. Evergreen Huckleberry grows slowly, reaching 3-6 feet in the sun and 12 feet or more in the shade. Does not transplant well, but can be grown easily from smaller potted stock. Fruit ripens August to September but often remain on the plant through December.

Vaccinium ovatum

Kinnikinnick

Evergreen Height: Up to 1 ft Light Requirement: Part Shade - Sun Moisture Requirements: Dry Bloom: White-pink flowers, April - July.

Spreading groundcover with red berries in the fall that does best in the sand and/or on a hill slope and can help protect from erosion. It does not do well in heavy, compacted soils where it tends to languish.  Benefits:  Butterflies, Fire-resistant, Drought tolerant

Arctostaphylos uva-ursi

Common Camas

Perennial Bulb. Height: up to 3' Light: Sun - Part shade Moisture: Moist - Dry Bloom: Blue Violet, April - July

Grows in open areas which are vernally moist, and dry by late spring when it eventually goes dormant. Camas is an important flower for pollinating insects in prairie habitats. Considered among the easiest of and showiest of native bulbs.

Camassia quamash

Great Camas

Perennial Bulb. Height: up to 4' Light: Sun - Part shade Moisture: Moist - Dry Bloom: Blue Violet, April - July

Taller in stature and larger flowers than its close relative the common camas. Grows in open areas which are vernally moist, and dry by late spring when it eventually goes dormant. Camas is an important flower for pollinating insects in prairie habitats. Considered among the easiest of and showiest of native bulbs.

Camassia leichtlinii

Woodland Strawberry

Perennial  Height: up to 1 ft Light: Sun - Shade Moisture: Dry- Moist Bloom: March - August

Attractive spreading strawberry groundcover, white flowers and small strawberry fruit. Not as aggressive as beach strawberry and excellent for woodland settings.

Fragaria vesca

Salal

Evergreen Height: up to 6 ft Light: Sun- Shade Moisture: Dry – Moist Bloom: White and pink, May – June

Although often slow to establish, in time it will aggressively fill in and develop into large patches of verdant foliage. Plants have thick, evergreen leaves, that are valued in floral arrangements. Small white flowers bloom in late spring or early summer bearing edible black fruit in fall. Benefits: pollinators, drought tolerant, edible, and fire-resistant.

Gaultheria shallon

Fringe Cup

Semi-evergreen Height: up to 1 ft with flower spikes up to 3 ft. Light: Part to Full Shade Moisture: Moist Bloom: April - July

Fringecup can establish well in disturbed and shady areas to create a thick ground cover, which may even outcompete invasive weeds. Once established, they are also slug resistant and evergreen during mild winters.

Tellima grandiflora

Early Blue Violet

Perennial Height: 4 in  Light: Part shade Moisture: Moist - Dry Bloom: Blue Violet, April - July

The Early Blue Violet is the sole hostplant for the Oregon silverspot butterfly. Although the Oregon silverspot butterfly has been extirpated from Washington, WDFW has led habitat restoration efforts on coastal sites in Pacific County in preparation for future butterfly reintroductions.

Viola adunca