Colorado in bloom

Colorado bloom calendar

Darker = more flowering sightings that month. Based on iNaturalist research-grade observations in Colorado marked “Flowering,” as of October 17–23, 2026. Garden flowers have few records because research-grade data leaves out planted ones.

Families on this list

The plant families with the most flowers on this list, from iNaturalist taxonomy. Within each family, the most-observed flowers come first.

• Rosaceae (25): Roses (genus Rosa), Chokecherry, Virginia strawberry, Shrubby cinquefoil, Common ninebark, American plum, Downy serviceberry, Black chokeberry and 17 more
• Asteraceae (15): Common yarrow, Chicory, Common dandelion, Creeping thistle, Upright prairie coneflower, Common sunflower, Musk thistle, Rubber rabbitbrush and 7 more
• Fabaceae (10): Red clover, Yellow sweetclover, American vetch, Lambert's locoweed, Wild licorice, Western redbud, White point-vetch, Drummond's milkvetch and 2 more
• Boraginaceae (6): Hound's-tongue, Silky phacelia, Mountain bluebells, Prairie bluebells, Pale alpine forget-me-not, Miner's candle
• Ranunculaceae (5): Prairie pasqueflower, Columbian monkshood, Upland larkspur, Rocky mountain marsh-marigold, White globeflower
• Plantaginaceae (5): Butter-and-eggs (common toadflax), Balkan toadflax, Whipple's penstemon, Front range beardtongue, Sidebells penstemon
• Oleaceae (5): Purple lilac, Border forsythia, Japanese tree lilac, Meyer lilac, Hairy lilac
• Brassicaceae (4): Western wallflower, Hoary alyssum, Crossflower, Fendler's pennycress
• Caprifoliaceae (4): Twinberry honeysuckle, Common snowberry, Seven-son flower, Weigela
• Viburnaceae (4): Japanese snowball viburnum, Nannyberry, Arrowwood viburnum, Koreanspice viburnum
• Cactaceae (4): Plains pricklypear, Spinystar, Mountain ball cactus, Prairie pricklypear
• Orobanchaceae (4): Elephant's-Head lousewort, Wholeleaf paintbrush, Sickletop lousewort, Rhexia-leaved paintbrush
• Hydrangeaceae (4): Sweet mock orange, Bigleaf hydrangea, Panicle hydrangea, Mountain hydrangea
• Asparagaceae (3): Star-flowered lily-of-the-valley, Great Plains yucca, Common starlily
• Lamiaceae (3): Wild bergamot, Bluebeard, Russian sage

Shortlists by growing conditions

Flowers on this list whose USDA PLANTS characteristics data gives the rating shown. USDA only rates some species, so these lists are not complete.

• High drought tolerance (16): Yellow sweetclover, Plains pricklypear, Yellow salsify, Creeping mahonia, Bearberry, Sulfur buckwheat, Common snowberry, Dotted gayfeather, Wax currant, Great Plains yucca, Scarlet globemallow, American vetch and 4 more
• High moisture use (suits wet spots) (16): Chicory, Fireweed, Wild bergamot, Common cowparsnip, Twinberry honeysuckle, Red buckeye, Corn lily, Western blue flag, American bistort, Elephant's-Head lousewort, Richardson's geranium, Columbian monkshood and 4 more
• Rapid growth rate (21): Red clover, Chicory, Common dandelion, Fireweed, Yellow sweetclover, Common sunflower, Plains pricklypear, Chokecherry, Yellow salsify, Corn lily, Wax currant, Scarlet globemallow and 9 more

How we picked these flowers

We started from iNaturalist's research-grade sightings in Colorado, most-observed first, left out grasses, sedges, trees and other plants with tiny or wind-pollinated flowers (plus poison ivy), kept at most three species per genus, and added Colorado's official flowers, plus flowering shrubs and trees with at least 3 garden or 10 wild iNaturalist records in Colorado and popular garden flowers that iNaturalist users record growing in Colorado. Every flower needs a CC0 or CC BY photo.

Rare plant list: Colorado has no state law listing endangered or threatened plants, so we show NatureServe's Colorado ranks instead.
Invasive plant list: Colorado noxious weed lists A, B and C (8 CCR 1206-2, eff. May 15, 2025)