San Diego, We Have a Winner!
Congratulations Blue-eyed Grass!
After four weeks and over 7,750 votes, Blue-eyed Grass (Sisyrinchium bellum, pasto des ojitos azules, kuushaaw) - one of only two Irises native to San Diego - has won the popular vote, and is what the community is presenting to the City to be adopted as our new, native official flower!
It's shown its hardy defense by being drought-tolerant, fire-resistant, flourishing in full to partial shade, and readily reseeding itself.
You can find it throughout San Diego right now in meadows, wet grassy areas in chaparral and coastal sage scrub, streamsides and along the edges of freshwater wetlands.
Thank you to everyone who cast their vote, told their friends, and shared impactful stories with us about your love of native flowers.
Next Stop: We'll bring Blue-eyed Grass to city council for Earth Day, April 22nd, and invite you to come show your support and love of native flowers. Then, ask your park rangers to plant more Blue-eyed Grass, or your favorite flower from the bracket, to support pollinators and improve habitat!
Amending San Diego’s official city flower from a non-native carnation to a native flowering species supports local ecosystems and safeguards our biodiversity.
We’re asking the public to vote to select a final species who best represents the City of San Diego’s unique habitats, rich cultural history, and amazing biodiversity. Take part in three rounds of bracket madness to find a winner.
Click here to learn more about the contenders.
Interested in doing more?
There are lots of ways to support native habitat: check out our Native Seed Library program, join us at a restoration event, or get inspired at one of our two preserves. To learn more and explore native plants suited to your area, check out Calscape for customized knowledge, or go to a local Native Plant Nursery. Finally, this campaign was started by a group of Earth Advocates, during our annual advocacy training program.
City Flower Selection Timeline:
February: Select candidate flowers
We formed a stakeholder working group to determine criteria and nomination of potential flowers. The team of stakeholders consists of indigenous partners, biologists, community group members, and staff from environmental organizations, educational institutions, and businesses.
Flower Selection Criteria: There are over 2,000 species of plants in San Diego County! To narrow the selection, and choose eight flowers for the public vote, our stakeholder team put forward the following criteria. This means your favorite flower might not have made the cut, but is still very important to our local habitats and community.
- Environmental Benefits - Provides definitive support to native birds, bees and other wildlife
- Cultural Significance - Kumeyaay ethnobotanical value, and has 'Iipay and/or Tipay names*
- Accessibility - Drought resistant, easy for community members to find and grow at home
- Native - Found in multiple plant communities and native to the county of San Diego
- Not Endangered/threatened/rare - Prevents the risk of poaching
- Artistic Representation - Able to be artistically or graphically represented
March: Public Votes
We’re asking the public to vote to select a final species who best represents the City of San Diego’s unique habitats, rich cultural history and amazing biodiversity. Take part in three rounds of bracket madness to find a winner. Voting begins March 17th!
Elite Inflorescence: March 17-25th
Final Flora: March 29-April 7th
Corolla Championship: April 9-16th
April: Take our New Flower to City Council
We have shared this advocacy project with Councilmembers and in April, in time for Earth Day, we will push to have the City Council officially adopt the public’s native species as the new Official City Flower.
Stay up to date with this project by following us on Instagram and signing up for the Your City, Your Flower mailing list.
*San Diego County has over 2,000 native plants, but the 'Iipay Aa Kumeyaay language names for many of those species are no longer known as the effects of Western colonization resulted in the loss of language. Kumeyaay people are still researching, recovering and recording that knowledge and building back their language and connections to the land. Visit the Barona Cultural Center and Museum or any of the other Kumeyaay cultural centers if you want to learn more and get involved.
Our Mission
Promoting San Diego’s Native Biodiversity Through Legislative Action
Amending San Diego’s official city flower from a non-native carnation to a native flowering species supports local ecosystems and safeguards our biodiversity. By advocating for the adoption of a native flower, we aim to enhance the natural environment and promote preservation of the indigenous flora and fauna of San Diego. And we’ve got plenty of options: San Diego County is the most biodiverse county in the nation and the City of San Diego has the second largest urban park system in the nation. The City of San Diego has promoted native habitat through its designation as a Bee City, the Mayor’s Monarch pledge, and work plan goals that create biodiversity policies to protect native species–now it's time to turn on the flower power!
What are Native Plants?
Native plants are those that have evolved to live in a particular ecosystem, promoting biodiversity and providing food and habitat for local pollinators and wildlife. Native plants typically require less water, pesticides, and fertilizer since they have evolved to the Mediterranean climate here in Southern California.
How do they support birds?
Birds rely on plants that have co-evolved to support them, providing shelter, seeds, nectar, fruit, and insect food for local species. By promoting a native City Flower, we’ll have increased native habitats, which means more choices of food and shelter for birds and other pollinators such as bees and butterflies. Additionally, planting natives can help birds adapt and survive as climate change threatens our local habitats.
