Quick answer: 33 native Arizona plants have a recorded bloom range that includes October.
33 species
- Antelope-horns milkweed Asclepias asperula · 2 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Aspen fleabane Erigeron speciosus · 7 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum · 2 states
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · 2 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Garrett's firechalice Zauschneria garrettii · 4 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis · 2 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Rocky Mountain zinnia Zinnia grandiflora · 6 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
- Yellow bells (esperanza) Tecoma stans · 3 states
October in an Arizona native garden
October is a quieter month in Arizona: 33 of the state's 127 native plants flower in October, compared with 98 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
20 finish in October, including Antelope-horns milkweed, Aspen fleabane and Big sagebrush, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
29 of them grow in full or partial sun and 7 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Antelope-horns milkweed and Aspen fleabane to trees such as Desert willow and Jojoba. For wildlife, 28 support pollinators, 16 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
21 of the 33 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Indiangrass, Shrubby cinquefoil: common listings for these are often a bred variety or a different species.
Good places to start
Verified wild-species listings that take sun and are widely native, so they are forgiving first plants.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov