Wildflowers Blooming in North Carolina in May (60 Species)

60 wildflowers were recorded blooming in North Carolina in May in our iNaturalist sample; 25 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

Mountain Laurel835 obs.

Partridgeberry761 obs.

Flame Azalea759 obs.

Pink Lady's Slipper685 obs.

Jack-in-the-Pulpit581 obs.

Painted Trillium573 obs.

Large White Trillium559 obs.

Red Trillium499 obs.

Fire Pink478 obs.

Chinese privet440 obs.

Striped Wintergreen400 obs.

Galax369 obs.

All wildflowers blooming in North Carolina in May

#	Species	Scientific name	Family	Obs.	Peak in state
1	Mountain Laurel	Kalmia latifolia	heath family	835	May (peak)
2	Partridgeberry	Mitchella repens	madder family	761	May (peak)
3	Flame Azalea	Rhododendron calendulaceum	heath family	759	Jun (rising)
4	Pink Lady's Slipper	Cypripedium acaule	Orchids	685	May (peak)
5	Jack-in-the-Pulpit	Arisaema triphyllum	Arum Family	581	Apr (past peak)
6	Painted Trillium	Trillium undulatum	Herb-Paris, False Hellebores, Trilliums and allies	573	May (peak)
7	Large White Trillium	Trillium grandiflorum	Herb-Paris, False Hellebores, Trilliums and allies	559	Apr (past peak)
8	Red Trillium	Trillium erectum	Herb-Paris, False Hellebores, Trilliums and allies	499	Apr (past peak)
9	Fire Pink	Silene virginica	pink family	478	Jun (rising)
10	Chinese privet	Ligustrum sinense	olive family	440	May (peak)
11	Striped Wintergreen	Chimaphila maculata	heath family	400	Jun (rising)
12	Galax	Galax urceolata	diapensia family	369	Jun (rising)
13	Showy Orchis	Galearis spectabilis	Orchids	334	Apr (past peak)
14	Catawba Rhododendron	Rhododendron catawbiense	heath family	295	Jun (rising)
15	Philadelphia fleabane	Erigeron philadelphicus	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	284	Apr (past peak)
16	American cancer-root	Conopholis americana	broomrape family	233	May (peak)
17	Red Columbine	Aquilegia canadensis	buttercup family	226	Apr (past peak)
18	Robin's-Plantain	Erigeron pulchellus	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	217	Apr (past peak)
19	Wild Geranium	Geranium maculatum	Geranium family	197	Apr (past peak)
20	Lyreleaf Sage	Salvia lyrata	Mint Family	193	May (peak)
21	Strawberry Bush	Euonymus americanus	staff-vine family	191	May (peak)
22	Dwarf Crested Iris	Iris cristata	iris family	188	Apr (past peak)
23	Mapleleaf Viburnum	Viburnum acerifolium	elder family	185	May (peak)
24	Solomon's plume	Maianthemum racemosum	agave and allies	179	May (peak)
25	Pale Grasspink	Calopogon pallidus	Orchids	177	May (peak)
26	Canada mayflower	Maianthemum canadense	agave and allies	173	May (peak)
27	Bashful Wakerobin	Trillium catesbaei	Herb-Paris, False Hellebores, Trilliums and allies	167	Apr (past peak)
28	Helmet skullcap	Scutellaria integrifolia	Mint Family	164	May (peak)
29	Wood Anemone	Anemonoides quinquefolia	buttercup family	164	Apr (past peak)
30	American tuliptree	Liriodendron tulipifera	magnolia family	155	Apr (past peak)
31	American persimmon	Diospyros virginiana	persimmon family	155	May (peak)
32	Multiflora Rose	Rosa multiflora	rose family	154	May (peak)
33	Dame's Rocket	Hesperis matronalis	mustard family	153	May (peak)
34	Canadian lousewort	Pedicularis canadensis	broomrape family	152	May (peak)
35	Cucumber Root	Medeola virginiana	lily family	152	May (peak)
36	Hobblebush	Viburnum lantanoides	elder family	151	May (peak)
37	Summer Bluet	Houstonia purpurea	madder family	148	Jun (rising)
38	Mayapple	Podophyllum peltatum	barberry family	145	Apr (past peak)
39	Butterfly Milkweed	Asclepias tuberosa	Dogbane Family	142	Jun (rising)
40	Star Chickweed	Stellaria pubera	pink family	140	Apr (past peak)
41	Goat's Rue	Tephrosia virginiana	Legumes	136	May (peak)
42	Golden Ragwort	Packera aurea	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	136	Apr (past peak)
43	Japanese honeysuckle	Lonicera japonica	honeysuckle family	134	May (peak)
44	Bluebead Lily	Clintonia borealis	lily family	129	May (peak)
45	Redring Milkweed	Asclepias variegata	Dogbane Family	128	May (peak)
46	Carolina sweetshrub	Calycanthus floridus	spicebush family	125	Apr (past peak)
47	White Clover	Trifolium repens	Legumes	121	May (peak)
48	Annual Fleabane	Erigeron annuus	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	111	Jun (rising)
49	Daisy Fleabane	Erigeron strigosus	Sunflowers, Daisies, Asters, and Allies	111	Jun (rising)
50	Canada Violet	Viola canadensis	Violet Family	109	May (peak)