Quick answer: 26 native Nebraska plants have a recorded bloom range that includes October.
26 species
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Blue mistflower Conoclinium coelestinum · 32 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Closed bottle gentian Gentiana andrewsii · 23 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
- Flowering spurge Euphorbia corollata · 29 states
- Great blue lobelia Lobelia siphilitica · 36 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 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
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- White heath aster Symphyotrichum ericoides var. ericoides · 26 states
October in a Nebraska native garden
October is a quieter month in Nebraska: 26 of the state's 162 native plants flower in October, compared with 100 at the June peak. That makes these plants valuable for keeping color, and food for pollinators, going outside the main season.
18 finish in October, including Big sagebrush, Black-eyed Susan and Blue grama, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
25 of them grow in full or partial sun and 6 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. 10 stay under about 3 feet, including Black-eyed Susan and Buffalograss, which suits borders and small yards. For wildlife, 25 support pollinators, 17 provide food or cover for birds and 12 are caterpillar host plants.
23 of the 26 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Black-eyed Susan, Indiangrass, Switchgrass: 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