Quick answer: 52 native Colorado plants have a recorded bloom range that includes August.
52 species
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Aspen fleabane Erigeron speciosus · 7 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Colorado blue columbine Aquilegia coerulea · 9 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common gaillardia (blanketflower) Gaillardia aristata · 11 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dotted blazing star Liatris punctata · 17 states
- Fireweed Chamerion angustifolium · 37 states
- Giant red paintbrush Castilleja miniata · 13 states
- Harebell Campanula rotundifolia · 35 states
- Hooker's evening primrose Oenothera elata · 14 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Littleflower penstemon Penstemon procerus · 11 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana · 9 states
- Nettleleaf giant hyssop Agastache urticifolia · 9 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea · 18 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain zinnia Zinnia grandiflora · 6 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Scarlet bugler Penstemon barbatus · 2 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Sulphur-flower buckwheat Eriogonum umbellatum · 10 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
August in a Colorado native garden
August is a quieter month in Colorado: 52 of the state's 100 native plants flower in August, compared with 75 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
7 start blooming in August, including Big bluestem, Big sagebrush and Dotted blazing star. 8 finish in August, including Colorado blue columbine, Indian blanket and Lewis flax (blue flax), so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
47 of them grow in full or partial sun and 10 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Aspen fleabane and Black-eyed Susan to trees such as Smooth sumac. For wildlife, 45 support pollinators, 26 provide food or cover for birds and 14 are caterpillar host plants.
35 of the 52 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow: 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
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug