Quick answer: 105 native California plants have a recorded bloom range that includes May.
105 species
- Alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus · 15 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- Arroyo lupine Lupinus succulentus · 2 states
- Baby blue eyes Nemophila menziesii · 3 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bigleaf maple Acer macrophyllum · 3 states
- Black sage Salvia mellifera · 1 states
- Blue palo verde Parkinsonia florida · 3 states
- Blueblossom Ceanothus thyrsiflorus · 1 states
- Bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata · 16 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- California bay laurel Umbellularia californica · 3 states
- California buckwheat Eriogonum fasciculatum · 2 states
- California coffeeberry Rhamnus californica · 1 states
- California flannelbush Fremontodendron californicum · 3 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- California wild grape Vitis californica · 1 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chaparral yucca Hesperoyucca whipplei · 2 states
- Checker lily Fritillaria affinis · 3 states
- Chinese houses Collinsia heterophylla · 1 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Coast live oak Quercus agrifolia · 1 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common camas Camassia quamash · 3 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common selfheal Prunella vulgaris · 25 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Coulter's Matilija poppy Romneya coulteri · 1 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Crevice alumroot Heuchera micrantha · 4 states
- Deerbrush Ceanothus integerrimus · 5 states
- Desert bluebells Phacelia campanularia · 2 states
- Desert globemallow Sphaeralcea ambigua · 2 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa · 4 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii · 12 states
- Douglas iris Iris douglasiana · 3 states
- Elegant clarkia Clarkia unguiculata · 1 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Foothill penstemon Penstemon heterophyllus · 1 states
- Globe gilia Gilia capitata · 5 states
- Golden currant Ribes aureum · 3 states
- Great Valley gumweed Grindelia camporum · 2 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Henderson's shooting star Dodecatheon hendersonii · 3 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Hummingbird sage Salvia spathacea · 1 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Jojoba Simmondsia chinensis · 2 states
- Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia · 3 states
- Lacy phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia · 3 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Lewis' mock orange Philadelphus lewisii · 5 states
- Miniature lupine Lupinus bicolor · 4 states
- Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana · 9 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Oregon white oak Quercus garryana · 3 states
- Pacific madrone Arbutus menziesii · 3 states
- Pacific trillium Trillium ovatum · 3 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa · 16 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple needlegrass Stipa pulchra · 1 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red-flowering currant Ribes sanguineum · 4 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Royal penstemon Penstemon speciosus · 6 states
- Rush milkweed Asclepias subulata · 3 states
- Saskatoon serviceberry Amelanchier alnifolia · 14 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seaside daisy Erigeron glaucus · 2 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Silver lupine Lupinus albifrons · 1 states
- Siskiyou lewisia Lewisia cotyledon · 2 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Snowbrush ceanothus Ceanothus velutinus · 10 states
- Sticky monkeyflower Mimulus aurantiacus · 2 states
- Tall Oregon grape Mahonia aquifolium · 3 states
- Tidy tips Layia platyglossa · 3 states
- Toyon Heteromeles arbutifolia · 1 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Valley oak Quercus lobata · 1 states
- Velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina · 3 states
- Vine maple Acer circinatum · 3 states
- Western azalea Rhododendron occidentale · 3 states
- Western blue-eyed grass Sisyrinchium bellum · 2 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- White sage Salvia apiana · 1 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
May in a California native garden
May is California's peak bloom month: 105 of the state's 131 native plants in this directory flower in May, more than in any other month.
31 start blooming in May, including Apache plume, Bluebunch wheatgrass and California buckwheat. 19 finish in May, including Alderleaf mountain mahogany, Arroyo lupine and Bigleaf maple, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
85 of them grow in full or partial sun and 25 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arrowleaf balsamroot and Arroyo lupine to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and Bearberry. For wildlife, 77 support pollinators, 43 provide food or cover for birds and 11 are caterpillar host plants.
62 of the 105 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Common yarrow: 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.
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jul
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Oct