What to look for in nature in Missouri this May

Which songbirds pass through Missouri in May, and where can you see them?

• Treetop migrants: warblers, tanagers, thrushes

  First half of May, mornings · Wooded parks, river bottoms and refuge forests

  Shaw’s monthly notes name May’s first two weeks as the peak, and they describe the birds feeding on insects high in the trees. Go early, when the insects are active and the light is soft, stand under a leafy edge near water, and watch for movement rather than color. In the southeast, Mingo National Wildlife Refuge names the prothonotary warbler as one of its featured species; the federal refuge page adds that songbirds and wading birds gather in the marshes and bottomland forests as spring turns to summer. The refuge’s page gives no date for the warbler, so treat the timing as a general late-spring window.

• Northern refuges in late spring

  May into early summer · Swan Lake and Loess Bluffs National Wildlife Refuges, northern Missouri

  The northern refuges shift from geese to nesting. Loess Bluffs, near Mound City, says bald eagle pairs build in its trees, that the larger eagle migration moves north by spring and summer, and that songbird nesting is abundant as summer begins, with deer fawns, snakes and turtles along the auto tour. Swan Lake, near Sumner, runs ranger-led First Fridays events from April through August and lets visitors borrow a key to its observation tower during visitor-center hours. Both are wet underfoot, so wear waterproof shoes and carry insect repellent.

• Baltimore oriole

  May, in tall trees at parks, farms and river edges · Open woods, parks, backyards and riverfront forest

  The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) calls the Baltimore oriole an uncommon summer resident. The female weaves a gray, basket-like nest over about a week, using milkweed silk, plant fibers and hair, and hangs it from the high branches of tall trees such as maples or elms. A clutch holds 3 to 7 eggs, which hatch after 11 to 14 days, and the young leave the nest after about two weeks. Orioles take nectar from feeders and eat the pulp of halved oranges, and Shaw lists them among May’s migrants.

• Mississippi kite

  Present from late April to late September, with numbers highest from late May through August · Mississippi River valley, mature bottomland forest and grassland

  MDC describes a swallow-like raptor that flies on slow wingbeats and catches insects in midair, often in small groups and often above the forest canopy or a river. Reports come mostly from the Mississippi River valley, and the field guide notes that more than 100 have been seen circling over the river in southeastern Missouri. They nest in colonies in tall bottomland trees, usually raising one brood. Near a nest a kite may dive at a person who gets too close; MDC says the dives are alarming but rarely make contact.

• Common nighthawk

  Back from late April; courtship dives in May and June evenings · Flat rooftops, parking lots, streetlights, prairies and glades

  Despite the name, the nighthawk hunts at dawn and dusk. MDC says it flies in an erratic, bat-like way, gathers around streetlights where insects collect, and gives a harsh, nasal “peent.” In courtship the male dives steeply and pulls out with a loud whirr of feathers. Many city nighthawks lay their eggs straight onto flat gravel roofs; historically they used glades, barrens and prairies. MDC calls it a common summer resident that is declining because of habitat and food loss. Stand in an open lot near sunset and look up.

Which birds are nesting in Missouri fields and woods in May?

• Dickcissel

  Back in late April and May; singing from fence posts through summer · Prairies, hayfields, weedy fields and farmland

  MDC says the dickcissel’s song sounds like its name. The species is abundant in the Glaciated and Osage Plains and in the Mississippi Lowlands, and some years it appears in larger Ozark fields. The female builds a cup of grass and weed stems low in grass or sapling trees and lays 3 to 6 eggs. MDC points out that hayfields that offer nesting cover are often mowed before the young can leave the nest, which is a reason for landowners to delay cutting where they can.

• Indigo bunting

  Arrives in April; singing on territory by May · Brushy fields, forest openings, hedgerows and gravel-road edges

  The male sings paired, whistled notes, and each pair usually sits a little lower than the one before it. MDC says the female builds a cup of leaves and grasses held together with spider webs, low in a shrub. Clutches hold 3 or 4 eggs that hatch after 11 to 14 days, the young stay in the nest about two weeks, and a pair may raise one to three broods. Look along fence lines and the shrubby edges of pastures.

• Northern bobwhite

  Calling through the nesting season · Grassland with shrubby cover

  The “bob-white” whistle is the male’s mating call, according to MDC. Eggs are laid about one a day and hatch in 23 days, and a hen can produce up to three clutches before the season closes around October. Newly hatched chicks are about the size of bumblebees, leave the nest roughly a day later and live mostly on insects, which is why growing, flower-rich ground matters. MDC adds that the species has declined steadily because of habitat loss, though areas with targeted habitat work have held steady.

• Eastern whip-poor-will

  In Missouri from April to September; call on the dusk to dawn shift · Woodlands with open understory

  MDC says a whip-poor-will may repeat its call hundreds of times in a single night. By day it crouches motionless on leaf litter, perfectly camouflaged, and it builds no nest: two eggs are laid on the ground and incubate about 20 days. The field guide says the birds are especially active on moonlit nights, since they need light to catch insects, and that egg-laying is timed so chicks hatch about 10 days before a full moon. With the Flower Moon on May 20, the nights around it are good ones to stand on a dark rural road and listen. Declines are reported from free-ranging hogs and pets, and from forest loss to suburbs and farms.

Which frogs and toads are calling in Missouri in May?

• Rocky Mountain toad

  Breeding starts late April to early May and usually peaks from mid-May to early June · Missouri River floodplain, sloughs, shallow ditches and flooded fields

  MDC describes a short, nasal “w-a-a-ah” that lasts one to two and a half seconds and resembles a Fowler’s toad at a lower pitch. The field guide says this is the most abundant toad in the sandy soils of the Missouri River floodplain, with a range running from the central part of the state to the far northwest, and possibly east to St. Charles County and western St. Louis County. MDC’s May 2026 notes also say its breeding peaks in mid-May.

• Eastern narrow-mouthed toad

  Chorus starts in late April; often after heavy rain, and again in June or early July · Southern half of the state, including rice fields in the southeast

  The male makes a bleating, nasal “baaaa” of one to four seconds that sounds like a lamb, and one calling toad often sets its neighbors off. MDC says it breeds in large puddles, temporary pools and fishless flooded ditches. In May 2025 the agency also pointed to the western narrow-mouthed toad’s short, buzzy “peel.”

• Blanchard’s cricket frog

  Late April to mid-July; calls day and night · Sandy, gravelly or muddy edges of ponds, streams and lakes

  The call is a rapid, metallic “gick, gick, gick” that MDC compares to small pebbles struck together. The frog is considered common in Missouri, and numbers drop in drought years and rebound when rain returns. MDC notes that in the upper Midwest populations have vanished or declined, for reasons not fully understood, so a Missouri chorus is worth noting down.

• Gray treefrog and green frog

  May and later · Trees and shrubs near water; pond edges

  MDC’s May 2025 notes describe the gray treefrog as a musical, birdlike trill. Its May 2024 issue says the green frog breeds from late April through mid-August and gives a loud, explosive call like a loose banjo string.

What blooms in Missouri in May, from woods to glades?

• Dogwoods, five kinds

  May · Woods, thickets and streamsides

  MDC’s May 2024 notes say Missouri has five dogwood species and that all bloom in May. Flowering dogwood, the state tree, has the showy four-bracted heads. The other four lack showy bracts and carry small white, cream or greenish-yellow flowers, so they look more like clusters of tiny petals than like the familiar tree.

• Indian paintbrush

  April to July · Prairies, glades, fields and moist thickets; statewide except the northwest and southeast lowlands

  The true flowers are small, tubular and greenish yellow, and the color comes from red, orange or yellow bracts around them, according to MDC. The plant is a partial root parasite that taps nearby plants such as little bluestem and penstemons, which is one reason it is hard to transplant. Look for it on sunny hillsides and glade edges.

• Missouri evening primrose

  May through August · Limestone glades, bluffs and rocky prairies, especially in the Ozarks south of the Missouri River

  The flowers are bright lemon yellow and up to 4 inches wide, but each lasts a single day: MDC says they open in late afternoon and close the next morning. Night-feeding bees and moths pollinate them. If you walk a glade at dusk, you may catch the first blooms of the evening.

• Blue-eyed Mary

  April through June · Moist, open wooded hills and streamsides; most common in central Missouri, mostly absent from the Ozarks

  MDC describes flowers about half an inch wide with a white upper lip and a sky-blue lower lip, on plants up to about 15 inches tall. It is a winter annual whose seedlings sprout in late fall, so a patch can be blooming in late April and be gone by midsummer. MDC chose it for its May Wild Guide in 2024 and again in 2026, a sign of how reliably it blooms around now.

• Yellow lady’s slipper

  April through June · North- and east-facing ravine slopes and stream valleys; scattered nearly statewide, absent from the Mississippi Lowlands

  This orchid has twisted brown or purplish “flags” and a bright yellow slipper-shaped lip, and it often grows in colonies. MDC separates a small variety, found in the west and south, from a large variety, found in the east. Touching the plant can cause a rash in some people. MDC warns that populations are falling from logging, grazing and illegal root digging, and that transplants usually fail. Photograph it and leave it.

• American smoke tree

  Flowers in May; smoky seed clusters in June and July · Dolomite glades and bluffs in the western Ozarks

  Missouri has a rare native smoke tree, found mostly along the old White River valley near Lake Taneycomo, Table Rock Lake and Bull Shoals Lake. The greenish-yellow flowers are small, and the “smoke” comes from the hairy stalks of sterile flowers that remain after the blossoms drop. MDC adds that most smoke trees sold in nurseries are a nonnative Eurasian species.

• Bumblebees and World Bee Day

  All of May; World Bee Day on May 20 · Flowers in gardens, glades and fields

  MDC’s May notes in 2024 and 2025 say that at least six bumblebee species live in the state, that many are declining, and that they become easy to notice this month. If one nests on your property, MDC suggests watching from a distance. The agency also marks World Bee Day on May 20.

Which wild animals have young in Missouri in May, and what should you do if you find one?

• White-tailed deer fawns

  Most are born in late May or early June · Woodland edges and fields

  MDC’s field guide says births cluster in the last days of May and the first of June, following roughly 200 days of gestation. Does usually have twins, each weighing 4 to 7 pounds, and the fawns are reddish brown with white spots until they trade the spots for a uniform coat at 3 to 4 months. Remember MDC’s general rule that a young animal alone is usually not an orphan.

• Fledglings and cottontail nests

  All of May · Yards, fields and wood edges

  MDC explains that a feathered chick hopping about the ground is a fledgling, which can take as long as 10 days to learn flight while its parents hover nearby, so walk away. A chick with no feathers has likely fallen from its nest and can be returned if you can find the nest. The agency adds that newborn cottontails should not be rescued, since they can die of fright when handled and the mother will most likely return, and that human scent does not make wild mothers abandon their young.

• Beaver kits, woodchucks and coyote pups

  May · Ponds, streams, fencerows and brushy fields

  MDC’s May 2026 notes say the female beaver leaves the den with month-old kits and begins swimming with them, and that woodchucks born in March are now leaving the burrow to play and wrestle. The May 2024 notes say coyotes are bearing young this month and are quiet. Quiet dusk watching at a pond edge may reward you.

• Hoary bats

  Migration peaks in May and September; pups arrive from late May to early July · Treetops at clearing edges; hunting over water and grass

  The hoary bat is a tree bat that hangs by its hind feet from leafy branches 10 to 15 feet up. MDC says it feeds heavily on moths, flies high and fast late in the evening, and is seen most during migration. Pups, usually two per litter, are born from late May to early July and can fly at about one month; females roost alone in foliage while raising them. MDC’s May 2025 notes list hoary bats among the month’s sights.

What is biting or spawning in Missouri waters in May?

• Crappie

  May · Brushy coves and banks of lakes and ponds

  MDC’s May 2024 notes say crappie spawn this month. Fish stay in the shallows around structure while the water is warm enough, so small jigs and minnows near brush piles and docks are the classic approach.

• Bowfin

  April into early June · Swamps, ditches and sluggish pools; Bootheel backwaters and oxbows

  MDC says bowfin spawn from April into early June, and its May 2026 notes pick out southeast Missouri for spawning. Males build nests in shallow weedy sites and guard the eggs and fry, and the fry leave in a swarm with the male until they are about 4 inches long. By day bowfin hide in deeper water; at night they feed in the shallows and rise to gulp air, since the swim bladder works something like a lung. The emerald bowfin is most abundant in the Mississippi Lowlands.

• Season dates to confirm

  2026 dates below; 2027 to be posted · Ozark streams, the Mississippi River, trout parks

  In 2026, MDC’s table listed Ozark stream black bass opening May 23 and Mississippi River paddlefish open through May 15, with trout parks open March 1 to October 31 and frog fishing starting June 30. Those are last year’s dates, so check the 2027 table for each.

How warm is a Missouri May, and what are the weather hazards?

Can Missouri still get a freeze in May?

How much daylight does Missouri gain in May?

What can you see in Missouri’s night sky in May 2027?

• Eta Aquariid meteors

  Mornings of May 5, 6 and 7, in the last hours before dawn · Anywhere dark, facing east to southeast

  Peak is around May 5 to 7, and the Moon is new on May 6, so the sky is dark all night. The American Meteor Society gives “medium rates of 10 to 30 per hour just before dawn” for sites from the equator northward, and the shower’s radiant (in Aquarius) rises only an hour or two before dawn at Missouri’s latitude, so expect fewer than the higher published peaks. One sky calendar lists up to 60 per hour from the Southern Hemisphere. Give your eyes 20 minutes to adjust.

• Venus and Saturn, low in the east

  Morning of May 7 (also May 6 and 8) · Low in the east before sunrise

  On May 7 the two planets sit only 0.6 degrees apart, and the days on either side they are about a degree from each other. Venus blazes, while Saturn is a dim yellowish dot close by. Both sit only 3 to 6 degrees above the horizon 30 minutes before sunrise, so you need a flat, clear eastern horizon, and binoculars help. This is a challenging sight, not an easy one.

• Mercury’s evening show

  Best May 12 to June 5; greatest elongation May 28 · Low in the west-northwest, 45 to 90 minutes after sunset

  Mercury’s widest separation east of the Sun, about 22.8 degrees (SeaSky gives 22.9), comes on May 28. By mid-May it sets about 97 minutes after sunset and glows near magnitude -0.6, then dims fast in June. Of the evening Mercury appearances this year, this one suits northern and central latitudes best. Choose a clear western horizon and sweep it with binoculars.

• Jupiter and Mars in the evening

  All month · South and southwest after dark

  Jupiter outshines every star after dusk and sets roughly seven hours after dusk on May 1; reddish Mars, dimmer and fading, sets near the same hour. Jupiter has the first-quarter Moon as a neighbor on May 12, the closest approach (about 1.2 degrees) coming in the afternoon, and lies roughly three degrees away from Mars the next day, May 13. Watch the Moon step from planet to planet over those two evenings.

• The Flower Moon, also a seasonal Blue Moon

  Full at 5:59 a.m. CDT on Thursday, May 20; best view the evening of Wednesday, May 19 · Rising in the east around 8 p.m.

  The full instant falls before dawn, so it looks full on both May 19 and May 20, rising at about 8 p.m. (a little later toward the west side of the state) on May 19. The Old Farmer’s Almanac-style name is Flower Moon. This spring contains four full moons (the dates are March 22, April 20, May 20, then June 19), and SeaSky labels May’s, the third of the four, a blue moon in the old seasonal sense. It will not look blue, and counting by calendar months instead, 2027 has none.

• Milky Way season begins

  The first two weeks of May and the last week · Southern sky, in the hours before dawn

  The brightest part of the Milky Way, in Sagittarius, rides low in the south and shows only before dawn this month. Moonless pre-dawn windows open from May 1 through May 14 and again from May 25 through May 31, offering as much as about 3.8 hours of dark pre-dawn sky with the galactic core up, for observers near 40 degrees north. Find a spot well away from town lights, such as a conservation area.

What are good May nature outings for Missouri families?

Safety notes for May in Missouri