Quick answer: 29 native Colorado plants have a recorded bloom range that includes October.
29 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
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dotted blazing star Liatris punctata · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 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
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
October in a Colorado native garden
October is a quieter month in Colorado: 29 of the state's 100 native plants flower in October, compared with 75 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
21 finish in October, including Aspen fleabane, Big sagebrush and Black-eyed Susan, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
25 of them grow in full or partial sun and 7 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. 12 stay under about 3 feet, including Aspen fleabane and Black-eyed Susan, which suits borders and small yards. For wildlife, 26 support pollinators, 16 provide food or cover for birds and 10 are caterpillar host plants.
21 of the 29 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Black-eyed Susan, Indiangrass: 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