Part Of The American Meadows Meadowscaping Learning Center
Colorado Native Plants, State Flowers & State Bird
Native plants are adaptable, low-maintenance, and beautiful. They are the best choice for habitat-friendly gardens and thriving ecosystems. Find top picks for native plants in your state - and learn about your state bird and state flowers!
Follow Along With More Of Our Guides
Hello native plant enthusiasts! In the list below, you will find popular native plants and wildflower seeds, available from American Meadows, that have a native distribution in your state. You’ll also find information about your state bird, state flower, and state wildflower!
About Our Native Plant Lists For Each State
- The links will take you to a single plant or seed selection for the plant listed -- but in many cases, we offer multiple cultivars for each plant, and we may offer both seeds and potted plants to grow the plant on your list. This list is a work in progress as we expand our native plant educational resources.
- The list for your state is a great place for getting started with native plants - but it is by no means a comprehensive listing of the hundreds of native plants growing in each state.
Colorado Native Plants
Grow our Native West Wildflower Seed Mix.
Showy Goldenrod (Solidago speciosa)
Black Eyed Susan or Gloriosa Daisy (Rudbeckia hirta)
Yellow Prairie Coneflower (Ratibida columnifera)
Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa)
Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
Long Beaked Sedge (Carex sprengelii)
Firewheel (Gaillardia pulchella)
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)
Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)
Blanket Flower (Gaillardia aristata)
Plains Coreopsis (Coreopsis tinctoria)
Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)
Wild Bergamot (Monarda fistulosa)
Elderberry (Sambucus canadensis)
Red Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis)
Meadow Anemone (Anemone canadensis)
Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)
Big Bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
Tufted Hair Grass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
Yellow Prairie Grass (Sorghastrum nutans)
Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium)
New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Ironweed (Vernonia fasciculata)
Common White Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)
Colorado State Bird, State Flower & State Wildflower
Lark Bunting ~ Calamospiza melanocorys
Flying in from Mexico and Louisiana by the hundreds, the Lark Buntings arrive with the females in their striped brown plumage and the breeding males in gleaming black. The rear ranks of birds flutter continuously to the front, and the entire assembly rolls over the greening land like some marvelous wheel. The splendid male often sings in flight, rocketing upward. The female, however, is less exuberant than her male counterpart, and is content to sit and incubate her nest of pale blue eggs.
Rocky Mountain Columbine ~ Aquilegia coerulea
As legend has it, long ago in Rome when someone saw the quaintly-shaped, five-spurred Columbine, his lively imagination pictured five little doves perched on the rim of a dish feeding together, so he named the flower columbina, from the Latin columba, meaning "dove." The five petals form funnels, each ending in a slender, upward-curving spur. These spurs contain nectar, and short-tongued insects sometimes nip holes in them to collect the sweet juice. Columbines grow wild in many places, and many varieties of different colors are cultivated in gardens.
From The Wildflowers of the 50 States U.S. Stamps issued July 24, 1992:
About Native Plants
- Native plants are essential for healthy ecosystems and habitat. They have evolved over time with local wildlife and climate conditions. Many pollinators have special relationships with native plants that they rely on for survival. For instance, some bees are specialists and require nectar and pollen from specific native plants to survive; and butterflies and moths often have specific host plants needed to nourish their caterpillars. For example, Asclepias (Milkweed or Butterfly Weed) is the host plant required for Monarch caterpillars to survive and grow into Monarch Butterflies!
- It’s OK to grow native plants in your yard that may not be native to your state or region. Remember – just because a plant is not native, does not necessarily mean that it is invasive or harmful. In fact, growing well-behaved introduced plants that are suited to your growing conditions can still provide many benefits to your yard (especially when compared to a traditional turf lawn).
- Know before you grow – It's always a good idea to learn what plants are native, well-behaved, and invasive or aggressive in your region before digging in.
- Learn More: All About Native Plants
Explore our full selection of native plants and seeds
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