Quick answer: 73 native New Mexico plants have a recorded bloom range that includes May.
73 species
- Alderleaf mountain mahogany Cercocarpus montanus · 15 states
- American plum Prunus americana · 37 states
- Antelope bitterbrush Purshia tridentata · 12 states
- Apache plume Fallugia paradoxa · 8 states
- Autumn sage Salvia greggii · 2 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Bluebunch wheatgrass Pseudoroegneria spicata · 16 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- California poppy Eschscholzia californica · 6 states
- Canada wild rye Elymus canadensis · 37 states
- Cardinal flower Lobelia cardinalis · 41 states
- Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata · 6 states
- Chokecherry Prunus virginiana · 44 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 states
- Common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri · 3 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creeping Oregon grape Mahonia repens · 15 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Deerbrush Ceanothus integerrimus · 5 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Desert willow Chilopsis linearis · 5 states
- Douglas fir Pseudotsuga menziesii · 12 states
- Eastern redbud Cercis canadensis · 32 states
- Gambel oak Quercus gambelii · 8 states
- Golden currant Ribes aureum · 3 states
- Gray alder Alnus incana · 26 states
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · 43 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Honey mesquite Prosopis glandulosa · 4 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora · 10 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Mexican buckeye Ungnadia speciosa · 2 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- New Mexico locust Robinia neomexicana · 2 states
- Ocotillo Fouquieria splendens · 3 states
- Pineleaf penstemon Penstemon pinifolius · 2 states
- Pink evening primrose Oenothera speciosa · 8 states
- Ponderosa pine Pinus ponderosa · 16 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Quaking aspen Populus tremuloides · 39 states
- Red baneberry Actaea rubra · 29 states
- Red yucca Hesperaloe parviflora · 2 states
- Red-osier dogwood Cornus sericea · 36 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Rocky Mountain penstemon Penstemon strictus · 5 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
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Tufted evening primrose Oenothera caespitosa · 15 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Utah serviceberry Amelanchier utahensis · 5 states
- Velvet mesquite Prosopis velutina · 3 states
- Virginia creeper Parthenocissus quinquefolia · 40 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- Winecup Callirhoe involucrata · 16 states
- Winterfat Krascheninnikovia lanata · 12 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
- Wyoming Indian paintbrush Castilleja linariifolia · 9 states
- Yellow bells (esperanza) Tecoma stans · 3 states
May in a New Mexico native garden
May is one of New Mexico's busiest bloom months, with 73 of the state's 107 native plants flowering (the peak is June).
23 start blooming in May, including Apache plume, Bluebunch wheatgrass and Butterflyweed. 6 finish in May, including Alderleaf mountain mahogany, Douglas fir and Eastern redbud, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
60 of them grow in full or partial sun and 23 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Bluebunch wheatgrass and Buffalograss to trees such as Alderleaf mountain mahogany and American plum. For wildlife, 59 support pollinators, 41 provide food or cover for birds and 18 are caterpillar host plants.
49 of the 73 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Apache plume, Autumn sage, 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
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug