Quick answer: 69 native Nevada plants have a recorded bloom range that includes May.
69 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
- Baby blue eyes Nemophila menziesii · 3 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Bebb willow Salix bebbiana · 6 states
- Blue palo verde Parkinsonia florida · 3 states
- Bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata · 16 states
- Bog laurel Kalmia polifolia · 13 states
- Brittlebush Encelia farinosa · 4 states
- Broadleaf cattail Typha latifolia · 39 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chalk dudleya Dudleya pulverulenta · 4 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Desert sand verbena Abronia villosa · 4 states
- Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii · 12 states
- Firecracker penstemon Penstemon eatonii · 3 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Great Valley gumweed Grindelia camporum · 2 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Joshua tree Yucca brevifolia · 3 states
- Lacy phacelia Phacelia tanacetifolia · 3 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Mule's ears Wyethia amplexicaulis · 8 states
- Munro's globemallow Sphaeralcea munroana · 9 states
- Oceanspray Holodiscus discolor · 9 states
- Old man's whiskers Geum triflorum · 9 states
- Palmer's penstemon Penstemon palmeri · 3 states
- Peachleaf willow Salix amygdaloides · 4 states
- Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa · 16 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Purple sage (desert sage) Salvia dorrii · 7 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 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 globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Scarlet monkeyflower Erythranthe cardinalis · 7 states
- Seep monkeyflower Erythranthe guttata · 15 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Silver buffaloberry Shepherdia argentea · 17 states
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · 42 states
- Snowbrush ceanothus Ceanothus velutinus · 10 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis · 5 states
- Utah sweetvetch Hedysarum boreale · 3 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Wax currant Ribes cereum · 2 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
May in a Nevada native garden
May is one of Nevada's busiest bloom months, with 69 of the state's 97 native plants flowering (the peak is June).
26 start blooming in May, including Apache plume, Bluebunch wheatgrass and Bog laurel. 9 finish in May, including Alderleaf mountain mahogany, Blue palo verde and Brittlebush, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
61 of them grow in full or partial sun and 20 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Arrowleaf balsamroot and Bluebunch wheatgrass to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and Bearberry. For wildlife, 50 support pollinators, 36 provide food or cover for birds and 12 are caterpillar host plants.
41 of the 69 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Common yarrow, Indian blanket: 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