Quick answer: 53 deer-resistant native plants are native to New Mexico, 41 with a live listing as of 04 Nov 2026.
53 species
- Autumn sage Salvia greggii · 2 states
- Banana yucca Yucca baccata · 8 states
- Bearberry Arctostaphylos uva-ursi · 34 states
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · 41 states
- Big sagebrush Artemisia tridentata · 14 states
- Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia hirta · 44 states
- Blackfoot daisy Melampodium leucanthum · 6 states
- Blue grama Bouteloua gracilis · 19 states
- Buffalograss Bouteloua dactyloides · 19 states
- Butterflyweed Asclepias tuberosa · 40 states
- California fuchsia Epilobium canum · 8 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
- Colorado blue columbine Aquilegia coerulea · 9 states
- Colorado four o'clock Mirabilis multiflora · 7 states
- Common gaillardia (blanketflower) Gaillardia aristata · 11 states
- Common juniper Juniperus communis · 39 states
- Common sneezeweed Helenium autumnale · 40 states
- Common sotol Dasylirion wheeleri · 3 states
- Common yarrow Achillea millefolium · 47 states
- Creosote bush Larrea tridentata · 6 states
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · 43 states
- Deergrass Muhlenbergia rigens · 5 states
- Desert marigold Baileya multiradiata · 4 states
- Greenleaf manzanita Arctostaphylos patula · 9 states
- Idaho fescue Festuca idahoensis · 12 states
- Indian blanket Gaillardia pulchella · 17 states
- Indiangrass Sorghastrum nutans · 37 states
- Indigo bush Amorpha fruticosa · 37 states
- Lemon beebalm Monarda citriodora · 10 states
- Lewis flax (blue flax) Linum lewisii · 17 states
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · 42 states
- Mexican hat Ratibida columnifera · 17 states
- Parry's agave Agave parryi · 2 states
- Pineleaf penstemon Penstemon pinifolius · 2 states
- Prairie Junegrass Koeleria macrantha · 29 states
- Rocky Mountain bee plant Peritoma serrulata · 26 states
- Rocky Mountain iris Iris missouriensis · 11 states
- Rocky Mountain penstemon Penstemon strictus · 5 states
- Rocky Mountain zinnia Zinnia grandiflora · 6 states
- Rubber rabbitbrush Ericameria nauseosa · 17 states
- Scarlet bugler Penstemon barbatus · 2 states
- Scarlet globemallow Sphaeralcea coccinea · 12 states
- Showy milkweed Asclepias speciosa · 17 states
- Sideoats grama Bouteloua curtipendula · 38 states
- Spotted beebalm Monarda punctata · 29 states
- Swamp milkweed Asclepias incarnata · 37 states
- Switchgrass Panicum virgatum · 43 states
- Upland larkspur Delphinium nuttallianum · 13 states
- Western yarrow Achillea millefolium var. occidentalis · 18 states
- Woolly paperflower Psilostrophe tagetina · 7 states
Deer-resistant native plants in New Mexico: what to know
53 of the 107 plants native to New Mexico in this directory fit this need: 50% of the state's list, well above the 28% share across all species.
Between them they flower from February through December, with the most in bloom in June. Mixing early and late bloomers keeps the planting useful all season.
Many do double duty: 46 are also good for pollinators, 45 are also drought-tolerant, 30 are also good for birds.
48 of them grow in full or partial sun and 9 tolerate shade, so there are options for open beds and woodland edges alike. Sizes run from low plants like Black-eyed Susan and Buffalograss to trees such as Bearberry and Common juniper. For wildlife, 46 support pollinators, 30 provide food or cover for birds and 15 are caterpillar host plants.
41 of the 53 have a seed or plant listing we verified as the wild species. Be careful buying Autumn sage, Black-eyed Susan, 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.
- Cutleaf coneflower Rudbeckia laciniata · Sun, Part Shade, Shade · blooms Jul-Oct
- Little bluestem Schizachyrium scoparium · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Jun-Dec
- Big bluestem Andropogon gerardii · Sun, Part Shade · blooms Aug-Nov