This is not to say that we should allow nature to take over our suburban lawns, but rather work with nature instead of conquering and molding it. The prairies of Nebraska supported a wide diversity of plants, many of which are well suited to our own yards as landscape plants. Both bloom in the fall and have red and purple blooms respectively. They are also disease resistant. I find that asters are a more predictable fall flowering plant than chrysanthemums.
Asters tend to hold up to early freezes better than mums.
This yellow flowering plant blooms July through September. The dried seed heads are of visual interest in the winter and also favored by many birds. The bloom is yellow and bloom time is from July to September. My wife finds the unusual seed pods to be the most fascinating part of this plant. This purple flowering plant is tolerant of moist conditions and readily attracts butterflies when in bloom in late August.