There are many organizations with excellent websites full of information on the natural science of Southern California and native plant gardening. Here are some of the ones that we use or have direct involvement with. We encourage you to make use of them.

California Native Plant Links
Nurseries for Native Plants
Eaton Canyon Nature Center Links

California Native Plant Links:

• California Native Plant Society (CNPS) — A state-wide organization of botanists and amatuers dedicated to the understanding, appreciation and conservation of California's native plant resources. (www.cnps.org)
  
  
  • California Native Plant Society - San Gabriel Mountains Chapter — The local chapter of CNPS covering the San Gabriel Mountains and surrounding valleys. (sgm.cnps.org)
  • California Native Plant Society - Riverside/San Bernardino Chapter — The local chapter of CNPS covering the Riverside County and Southwestern San Bernardino County. (riverside-sanbernardino.cnps.org/)
  • California Native Plant Society - Los Angeles/Santa Monica Mountains Chapter — The local chapter of CNPS covering the Los Angeles basin, San Fernando Valley and the Santa Monica Mountains. (https://chapters.cnps.org/lasmm/)
  • California Native Plant Society - South Coast Chapter — The local chapter of CNPS covering the coastal areas near the Palos Verdes Peninsula. (https://chapters.cnps.org/southcoast/)
  • California Native Plant Society - Orange County Chapter — The local chapter of CNPS covering Orange County. (https://chapters.cnps.org/oc/)
• Calflora.net — A very useful site with photos by Michael Charters of most of the Southern California plants, plus derivations of many genus and species names. (www.calflora.net/bloomingplants/index.html)
• Calflora.org — A hugh digital library of California-wide plant information, with links to the 30,000 photos in the CalPhotos image database. (www.calflora.org/)
• California Chaparral Institute — An organization dedicated to promoting an understanding of the chaparral, directed by Rick Halsey. Rick teaches classes at the San Diego Natural History Museum and recently released a book, Fire, Chaparral and Survival in Southern California. (www.californiachaparral.com)
• Flora of North America — The Flora of North America Association is a binational collaboration of over 30 U.S. and Canadian institutions and organizations. Its website has information on all plants, native or naturalized, found in North America north of Mexico. (http://floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page)
• Tom Chester Webpages — A website, maintained by Tom Chester and Jane Strong, with a wealth of information on the natural history of Southern California, including the Field Guide to the San Gabriel Mountains (www.tchester.org/sgm/sgm.html). The site also includes Native and Introduced Plants of Southern California (www.tchester.org/plants/index.html). We highly recommend this entire site. (www.tchester.org/)
• US Department of Agriculture Plants Database — This is the centralized site for plant information from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), covering the entire country. (plants.usda.gov)

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Nurseries for California native plants:

Not many nurseries in Southern California carry many native plants for sale or have a good understanding of them. However, there are a few that are outstanding. We encourage you to give them your business. We also suggest that you frequently ask the general nurseries for native plants, so that they see the growing demand.

• El Nativo Growers — Located in Azusa, this is primarily a wholesale nursery, selling to landscape professionals. They now sell to the general public through their website. After a purchase, you can arrange to pick up your plants at their nursery. (www.elnativogrowers.com)
• Las Pilitas Nursery — This nursery has locations in Santa Margarita and Escondido, which are pretty far to go from Los Angeles County. But they have a very extensive web site with information on California native plants and cultivated varieties of natives. (www.laspilitas.com)
• California Botanic Garden (formerly Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden) — An extensive botanical garden, specializing in Southern California native plants. They sell native plants at their Grow Native Nursery during the winter planting season. It also has the largest herbarium collection of Southern California plants in the world and extensive research and education resources. (www.calbg.org)
• Theodore Payne Foundation — A non-profit organization dedicated to the understanding and preservation of California native plants. They have an extensive garden in Sun Valley, California, where they sell native plants, year round. They also teach classes on planting and caring for native plants. (www.theodorepayne.org)
• Tree of Life Nursery — Although this nursery, located in San Juan Capistrano, is also a good drive for many in Los Angeles County, it is well worth it for its extensive native plant inventory and very helpful staff. (www.californianativeplants.com)

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Eaton Canyon Nature Center Links:

Gabi and Cliff are strongly associated with the Eaton Canyon Nature Center, having been volunteers there since 1994. These are some of the organizations that call the nature center their home and that we actively participate in. (NOTE: The Eaton Canyon Nature Center building was burned in the Eaton Fire, January 7, 2025. It is expected to be rebuilt, but that may take several years. In the meantime, these organizations are continuing their activities in other locations.)

• Eaton Canyon Nature Center — One of the Natural Area Parks operated by the Los Angeles County Department of Parks and Recreation, located in Pasadena at the base of Mount Wilson. This website is maintained by the Eaton Canyon Nature Center Associates (ECNCA), the association of volunteers and supporters of this park. (www.ecnca.org/)
• California Native Plant Society - San Gabriel Mountains Chapter — The local chapter of CNPS covering the San Gabriel Mountains and surrounding valleys. (www.cnps-sgm.org)
• Pasadena Audubon Society — One of the oldest bird-oriented organizations in the country, the Pasadena Audubon Society is dedicated to the understanding, enjoyment and preservation of our local birds. They are also concerned with other environmental issues. (www.pasadenaaudubon.org)
• Sierra Club Angeles Chapter - Natural Science Section — A subgroup within the Sierra Club, dedicated to natural science. Their activities range from short nature walks with a naturalist to multiple day events with several naturalists, such as the Nature Knowledge Workshop. (www.sierraclub.org/angeles/natural-science)
• Sierra Club Angeles Chapter - Pasadena Group — A subgroup of the Sierra Club, centered in Pasadena, with regular programs on environmental issues, as well as hiking and other outdoor activities. (www.angeles.sierraclub.org/pasadena)

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