Quick answer: 62 native Kansas plants have a recorded bloom range that includes September.
62 species
- 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
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 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
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Maypop passionflower Passiflora incarnata · 21 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Partridge pea Chamaecrista fasciculata · 30 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Prairie blazing star Liatris pycnostachya · 19 states
- Prairie goldenrod Solidago nemoralis · 7 states
- Prairie ironweed Vernonia fasciculata · 14 states
- Purple prairie clover Dalea purpurea · 18 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 tick trefoil Desmodium canadense · 29 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Smooth oxeye Heliopsis helianthoides · 30 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
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
- White meadowsweet Spiraea alba · 22 states
- Wholeleaf rosinweed Silphium integrifolium · 16 states
- Whorled milkweed Asclepias verticillata · 30 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
September in a Kansas native garden
September is a quieter month in Kansas: 62 of the state's 183 native plants flower in September, compared with 113 at the May peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
White heath aster starts blooming in September. 32 finish in September, including Blue vervain, Butterflyweed and Common buttonbush, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
58 of them grow in full or partial sun and 14 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 Trumpet vine. For wildlife, 59 support pollinators, 37 provide food or cover for birds and 23 are caterpillar host plants.
53 of the 62 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
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov