Quick answer: 69 native Utah plants have a recorded bloom range that includes May.
69 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
- Arrowleaf balsamroot Balsamorhiza sagittata · 12 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 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
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 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 elderberry Sambucus nigra ssp. canadensis · 36 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
- Downy serviceberry Amelanchier arborea · 37 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
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian ricegrass Achnatherum hymenoides · 17 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 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
- 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
- Rocky Mountain penstemon Penstemon strictus · 5 states
- Royal penstemon Penstemon speciosus · 6 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
- Tidy tips Layia platyglossa · 3 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
- Wasatch penstemon Penstemon cyananthus · 4 states
- Wax currant Ribes cereum · 2 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
May in an Utah native garden
May is one of Utah's busiest bloom months, with 69 of the state's 104 native plants flowering (the peak is June).
26 start blooming in May, including Apache plume, Bluebunch wheatgrass and Bog laurel. 8 finish in May, including Alderleaf mountain mahogany, Brittlebush and Douglas fir, so this is the last chance to see them in flower.
60 of them grow in full or partial sun and 22 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 American plum. For wildlife, 51 support pollinators, 38 provide food or cover for birds and 14 are caterpillar host plants.
43 of the 69 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
- Green ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Apr-Jun
- Smooth sumac Rhus glabra · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms May-Aug