Quick answer: 76 native Kansas plants have a recorded bloom range that includes August.
76 species
- American bellflower Campanulastrum americanum · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Blue vervain Verbena hastata · 34 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Common buttonbush Cephalanthus occidentalis · 29 states
- Common evening primrose Oenothera biennis · 30 states
- Common gaillardia (blanketflower) Gaillardia aristata · 11 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Compass plant Silphium laciniatum · 20 states
- Crimson-eyed rose-mallow Hibiscus moscheutos · 28 states
- Culver's root Veronicastrum virginicum · 32 states
- Cup plant Silphium perfoliatum · 27 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Dotted blazing star Liatris punctata · 17 states
- Eastern purple coneflower Echinacea purpurea · 24 states
- Fall obedient plant Physostegia virginiana · 37 states
- Fire pink Silene virginica · 26 states
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Golden alexanders Zizia aurea · 35 states
- Grayhead coneflower Ratibida pinnata · 26 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Hooker's evening primrose Oenothera elata · 14 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Inland sea oats Chasmanthium latifolium · 21 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Michigan lily Lilium michiganense · 16 states
- New Jersey tea Ceanothus americanus · 35 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 19 states
- Prairie dropseed Sporobolus heterolepis · 19 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Prairie tickseed Coreopsis palmata · 10 states
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea · 18 states
- Rattlesnake master Eryngium yuccifolium · 20 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain zinnia Zinnia grandiflora · 6 states
- Roundhead lespedeza Lespedeza capitata · 30 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Scaly blazing star Liatris squarrosa · 22 states
- Showy goldenrod Solidago speciosa · 28 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Showy tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Smooth hydrangea Hydrangea arborescens · 23 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 states
- Smooth rose Rosa blanda · 17 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Sweet Joe-Pye Eutrochium purpureum · 33 states
- Sweet coneflower Rudbeckia subtomentosa · 11 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Tall blazing star Liatris aspera · 26 states
- Trumpet vine Campsis radicans · 33 states
- Virginia mountain mint Pycnanthemum virginianum · 27 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- Wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium · 16 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Winged sumac Rhus copallinum · 30 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
August in a Kansas native garden
August is a quieter month in Kansas: 76 of the state's 183 native plants flower in August, compared with 113 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
8 start blooming in August, including Big bluestem, Dotted blazing star and Indiangrass. 15 finish in August, including American bellflower, Fire pink and Golden alexanders, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
67 of them grow in full or partial sun and 21 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Buffalograss to trees such as Maypop passionflower and Smooth sumac. For wildlife, 73 support pollinators, 41 provide food or cover for birds and 26 are caterpillar host plants.
66 of the 76 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Common yarrow, Crimson-eyed rose-mallow: 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