Wildflowers Blooming in California in May (60 Species)

60 wildflowers were recorded blooming in California in May in our iNaturalist sample; 32 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.

Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Top wildflowers in May

Ithuriel's Spear3,512 obs.

White Globe Lily3,013 obs.

Yellow Mariposa Lily2,476 obs.

Butterfly Mariposa Lily1,682 obs.

California poppy1,588 obs.

Chaparral Yucca1,583 obs.

Milk Thistle1,504 obs.

Redstem Stork's-bill1,464 obs.

Blue Elder1,374 obs.

Mediterranean Stork's-bill1,221 obs.

Clay Mariposa Lily1,136 obs.

Western Columbine1,103 obs.

All wildflowers blooming in California in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Ithuriel's Spear	Triteleia laxa	agave and allies	3,512	May (peak)
2	White Globe Lily	Calochortus albus	lily family	3,013	May (peak)
3	Yellow Mariposa Lily	Calochortus luteus	lily family	2,476	May (peak)
4	Butterfly Mariposa Lily	Calochortus venustus	lily family	1,682	May (peak)
5	California poppy	Eschscholzia californica	Poppy Family	1,588	Apr (past peak)
6	Chaparral Yucca	Hesperoyucca whipplei	agave and allies	1,583	May (peak)
7	Milk Thistle	Silybum marianum	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	1,504	May (peak)
8	Redstem Stork's-bill	Erodium cicutarium	Geranium family	1,464	Mar (past peak)
9	Blue Elder	Sambucus cerulea	elder family	1,374	May (peak)
10	Mediterranean Stork's-bill	Erodium botrys	Geranium family	1,221	Apr (past peak)
11	Clay Mariposa Lily	Calochortus argillosus	lily family	1,136	May (peak)
12	Western Columbine	Aquilegia formosa	buttercup family	1,103	Jun (rising)
13	Rose Clover	Trifolium hirtum	Legumes	1,101	Apr (past peak)
14	Checkerbloom	Sidalcea malviflora	Mallow and Hibiscus Family	1,095	Apr (past peak)
15	Splendid Mariposa Lily	Calochortus splendens	lily family	1,065	May (peak)
16	Harvest Brodiaea	Brodiaea elegans	agave and allies	1,064	May (peak)
17	Ookow	Dichelostemma congestum	agave and allies	1,063	May (peak)
18	Orange Bush Monkeyflower	Diplacus aurantiacus	lopseed family	1,051	Apr (past peak)
19	Golden Yarrow	Eriophyllum confertiflorum	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	1,041	May (peak)
20	White Brodiaea	Triteleia hyacinthina	agave and allies	966	May (peak)
21	Tomcat Clover	Trifolium willdenovii	Legumes	963	Apr (past peak)
22	Diogenes' lantern	Calochortus amabilis	lily family	931	May (peak)
23	Western Blue-Eyed Grass	Sisyrinchium bellum	iris family	921	Apr (past peak)
24	Chamise	Adenostoma fasciculatum	rose family	904	May (peak)
25	California buckeye	Aesculus californica	soapberry family	888	May (peak)
26	Common Yarrow	Achillea millefolium	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	875	Apr (past peak)
27	Tolmie's pussy ears	Calochortus tolmiei	lily family	848	May (peak)
28	Andrews' Clintonia	Clintonia andrewsiana	lily family	823	May (peak)
29	Seep Monkeyflower	Erythranthe guttata	lopseed family	821	May (peak)
30	Winecup Clarkia	Clarkia purpurea	evening primrose family	809	May (peak)
31	Scarlet Pimpernel	Lysimachia arvensis	primrose family	784	Apr (past peak)
32	Cretan mallow	Malva multiflora	Mallow and Hibiscus Family	768	Apr (past peak)
33	Blue Dicks	Dipterostemon capitatus	agave and allies	734	Apr (past peak)
34	Deerweed	Acmispon glaber	Legumes	731	May (peak)
35	Yellow Star-tulip	Calochortus monophyllus	lily family	723	May (peak)
36	Western Starflower	Lysimachia latifolia	primrose family	722	May (peak)
37	Tidy Tips	Layia platyglossa	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	712	Apr (past peak)
38	Cobwebby Thistle	Cirsium occidentale	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	685	May (peak)
39	Poison Hemlock	Conium maculatum	carrot family	685	May (peak)
40	California Wild Rose	Rosa californica	rose family	682	Jun (rising)
41	White Clover	Trifolium repens	Legumes	678	Apr (past peak)
42	California Pitcher Sage	Lepechinia calycina	Mint Family	668	May (peak)
43	Prettyface	Triteleia ixioides	agave and allies	663	May (peak)
44	California yerba santa	Eriodictyon californicum	borage family	659	May (peak)
45	Elegant Clarkia	Clarkia unguiculata	evening primrose family	658	May (peak)
46	California Buckwheat	Eriogonum fasciculatum	knotweed family	653	Jun (rising)
47	Baldhip Rose	Rosa gymnocarpa	rose family	652	May (peak)
48	Tiburon mariposa lily	Calochortus tiburonensis	lily family	640	Jun (rising)
49	Desert Mariposa Lily	Calochortus kennedyi	lily family	618	May (peak)
50	Southern Coastal Bushmallow	Malacothamnus fasciculatus	Mallow and Hibiscus Family	608	May (peak)