Coastal Scrub

A view up a hill with rocky outcrop at top and scrub plants in front with yellow lizardtail flowers.

The cool, windy and foggy conditions that prevail in the Marin Headlands leads to a natural lack of trees. Instead, the area is dominated by coastal scrub communities of low shrubs and prostrate herbaceous species adapted to the extreme wind and salt spray. Vegetative cover may be dense or sparse depending on slope steepness.

Common plants include several varieties of lupine, Indian paintbrush, coyote brush, wild cucumber, California coffeeberry and lizard tail as well as many smaller low plants. Wildflowers can be abundant in the spring, supporting a diversity of bees and butterflies.