60 wildflowers were recorded blooming in Nebraska in May in our iNaturalist sample; 31 of the top 50 are at their peak this month. The list is ranked by number of research-grade observations.
Top wildflowers in May
Yellow Salsify
Dame's Rocket
Shepherd's-Purse
Ground-Ivy
Red Columbine
Narrowleaf Puccoon
Catchweed Bedstraw
Henbit Deadnettle
common star-of-Bethlehem
Mock Strawberry
White Clover
Amur honeysuckle
All wildflowers blooming in Nebraska in May
| # | Species | Scientific name | Family | Obs. | Peak in state |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yellow Salsify | Tragopogon dubius | Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies | 73 | May (peak) |
| 2 | Dame's Rocket | Hesperis matronalis | mustard family | 49 | May (peak) |
| 3 | Shepherd's-Purse | Capsella bursa-pastoris | mustard family | 48 | Apr (past peak) |
| 4 | Ground-Ivy | Glechoma hederacea | Mint Family | 40 | Apr (past peak) |
| 5 | Red Columbine | Aquilegia canadensis | buttercup family | 31 | May (peak) |
| 6 | Narrowleaf Puccoon | Lithospermum incisum | borage family | 23 | May (peak) |
| 7 | Catchweed Bedstraw | Galium aparine | madder family | 18 | May (peak) |
| 8 | Henbit Deadnettle | Lamium amplexicaule | Mint Family | 16 | Apr (past peak) |
| 9 | common star-of-Bethlehem | Ornithogalum umbellatum | agave and allies | 14 | May (peak) |
| 10 | Mock Strawberry | Potentilla indica | rose family | 14 | May (peak) |
| 11 | White Clover | Trifolium repens | Legumes | 10 | May (peak) |
| 12 | Amur honeysuckle | Lonicera maackii | honeysuckle family | 10 | May (peak) |
| 13 | Smooth Yellow Violet | Viola eriocarpa | Violet Family | 10 | Apr (past peak) |
| 14 | Poison Hemlock | Conium maculatum | carrot family | 9 | Jun (rising) |
| 15 | Virginia bluebells | Mertensia virginica | borage family | 9 | Apr (past peak) |
| 16 | Virginia waterleaf | Hydrophyllum virginianum | borage family | 9 | May (peak) |
| 17 | Violet Woodsorrel | Oxalis violacea | Woodsorrel Family | 9 | May (peak) |
| 18 | Common Pawpaw | Asimina triloba | custard-apples | 8 | May (peak) |
| 19 | Black Medick | Medicago lupulina | Legumes | 8 | May (peak) |
| 20 | Green Antelopehorns | Asclepias viridis | Dogbane Family | 8 | May (peak) |
| 21 | Common Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies | 7 | May (peak) |
| 22 | Hoary Puccoon | Lithospermum canescens | borage family | 7 | May (peak) |
| 23 | Chokecherry | Prunus virginiana | rose family | 7 | May (peak) |
| 24 | Spotted Fritillary | Fritillaria atropurpurea | lily family | 7 | May (peak) |
| 25 | Yellow Lady's Slipper | Cypripedium parviflorum | Orchids | 6 | May (peak) |
| 26 | Corn Speedwell | Veronica arvensis | Plantain Family | 6 | May (peak) |
| 27 | Blue Phlox | Phlox divaricata | phlox family | 6 | May (peak) |
| 28 | Star-Flowered Lily-Of-The-Valley | Maianthemum stellatum | agave and allies | 5 | May (peak) |
| 29 | Scarlet Globemallow | Sphaeralcea coccinea | Mallow and Hibiscus Family | 5 | May (peak) |
| 30 | Prairie Pasqueflower | Pulsatilla nuttalliana | buttercup family | 5 | Apr (past peak) |
| 31 | American plum | Prunus americana | rose family | 4 | Apr (past peak) |
| 32 | Jack-in-the-Pulpit | Arisaema triphyllum | Arum Family | 4 | May (peak) |
| 33 | Yellow Sweetclover | Melilotus officinalis | Legumes | 4 | Jun (rising) |
| 34 | Moss Phlox | Phlox subulata | phlox family | 4 | May (peak) |
| 35 | Winecup Mallow | Callirhoe involucrata | Mallow and Hibiscus Family | 4 | Jun (rising) |
| 36 | Field Bindweed | Convolvulus arvensis | bindweed family | 3 | Jun (rising) |
| 37 | Golden Currant | Ribes aureum | Gooseberry Family | 3 | Apr (past peak) |
| 38 | Garlic Mustard | Alliaria petiolata | mustard family | 3 | Apr (past peak) |
| 39 | Spotted spurge | Euphorbia maculata | Spurge Family | 3 | Jun (rising) |
| 40 | Bastard Toadflax | Comandra umbellata | sandalwood family | 3 | May (peak) |
| 41 | Philadelphia fleabane | Erigeron philadelphicus | Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies | 3 | May (peak) |
| 42 | Field Penny-Cress | Thlaspi arvense | mustard family | 3 | Apr (past peak) |
| 43 | Tall Blue Wild Indigo | Baptisia australis | Legumes | 3 | May (peak) |
| 44 | American bladdernut | Staphylea trifolia | bladdernut family | 3 | Apr (past peak) |
| 45 | Prairie Phlox | Phlox pilosa | phlox family | 3 | May (peak) |
| 46 | Canada anemone | Anemonastrum canadense | buttercup family | 3 | Jun (rising) |
| 47 | Bird's-Foot Trefoil | Lotus corniculatus | Legumes | 2 | Jul (rising) |
| 48 | Canadian lousewort | Pedicularis canadensis | broomrape family | 2 | May (peak) |
| 49 | Showy Orchis | Galearis spectabilis | Orchids | 2 | May (peak) |
| 50 | Firewheel | Gaillardia pulchella | Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies | 2 | Jul (rising) |