Quick answer: 19 native Nevada plants have a recorded bloom range that includes October.
19 species
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Aspen fleabane Erigeron speciosus · 7 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Common sunflower Helianthus annuus · 18 states
- Great Valley gumweed Grindelia camporum · 2 states
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · 38 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Scarlet gilia Ipomopsis aggregata · 13 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Shrubby cinquefoil Dasiphora fruticosa ssp. floribunda · 23 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
October in a Nevada native garden
October is a quieter month in Nevada: 19 of the state's 97 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.
13 finish in October, including Aspen fleabane, Big sagebrush and Blue grama, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
16 of them grow in full or partial sun and 4 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. 7 stay under about 3 feet, including Aspen fleabane and Buffalograss, which suits borders and small yards. For wildlife, 15 support pollinators, 10 provide food or cover for birds and 6 are caterpillar host plants.
10 of the 19 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Shrubby cinquefoil, 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.
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct
- Pearly everlasting Anaphalis margaritacea · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Oct
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Nov