What to look for in nature in Oklahoma this May

Which birds are nesting in Oklahoma in May?

• Mississippi kites

  Eggs usually laid in late May, hatching about a month later · Wooded suburbs, open woodland and shrubland, most often in the western part of the state

  The Wildlife Department describes the Mississippi kite as a slim gray raptor that catches insects in midair and often eats them without landing. A pair builds a shallow bowl of sticks in a tree, and the page says the females lay one to three bluish-white eggs in late May. Both parents incubate and feed the chicks, which leave the nest about five weeks after hatching. Kites guard a nest hard, and the Department says they swoop at people who wander near. Its advice is to keep away until the young have flown, leash pets in parks and use binoculars.

• Greater roadrunners

  Nesting through spring; chicks leave the nest at about three weeks · Open country with little brush, often seen along roadsides

  The roadrunner is a ground-running cuckoo that the Department says prefers open country and has spread east across Oklahoma from the desert Southwest. About nine-tenths of its diet is animal matter, with snakes the best known prey, plus lizards, rodents, insects and even other birds. In courtship a male may carry a lizard or small snake as a gift. The nest sits up in a tree, the female lays four or five round white eggs, and both parents share incubation and feeding. Young birds leave the nest around three weeks old, and their parents keep teaching them to hunt for several more weeks.

• Painted buntings and dickcissels

  Breeding season, with songs strongest in the early morning · Painted bunting in the Cross Timbers, such as Lexington Wildlife Management Area and Lake Thunderbird State Park; dickcissel in the mixed-grass prairie, such as the Wichita Mountains

  An Audubon guide to birding in Oklahoma pairs species with ecoregions. It lists the painted bunting under the Cross Timbers, with Lexington Wildlife Management Area, Chickasaw National Recreation Area and Lake Thunderbird State Park as hotspots, and the dickcissel under the mixed-grass prairie, with the Wichita Mountains refuge, Sandy Sanders Wildlife Management Area and Boiling Springs State Park.

• Ruby-throated hummingbirds

  Second and third broods possible through the summer · Yards, woodland edges and gardens, mostly in the east; black-chinned hummingbirds mainly in the far west

  The Wildlife Department says ruby-throats start nesting about mid-April, soon after they arrive, building cup nests 10 to 20 feet up and laying two white eggs, and some pairs raise two or three broods in a season. Its feeder advice is one part sugar to four parts boiled water, never honey, in the shade and cleaned every few days. Black-chinned hummingbirds live mainly in far western Oklahoma.

Where do shorebirds and nesting terns gather at Salt Plains and Hackberry Flat in May?

• Shorebirds on the flats

  Spring passage, with March through May the best period at Hackberry Flat · Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge near Jet; Hackberry Flat near Frederick

  The Audubon guide says that March through May is the peak shorebird period at Hackberry Flat in the southwest, and that August is also good. It lists black-necked stilts, American avocets, snowy plovers and Wilson’s phalaropes there, along with king rails and soras in the marsh. The Wildlife Department notes that how many wetland units are flooded depends on rainfall, so conditions change from year to year. At Salt Plains the refuge describes large flocks of white pelicans on the lake in spring and fall.

• Least terns and snowy plovers

  Nests built from late May to mid-July, according to the Wildlife Department · Open sand and gravel on rivers and the west side of the Salt Plains lake

  The refuge says the salt flats are a nesting site for the endangered interior least tern and the threatened western snowy plover. The refuge adds that the nests are almost invisible from afar, and that newly hatched chicks walk off to forage. The Wildlife Department’s field guide says least terns nest in shallow scrapes on open, nearly bare sand and gravel, in colonies of 2 to 70 pairs, and that the eggs and chicks are well camouflaged. Treat any open sandbar or salt flat in May as a nursery and watch from a distance.

• Why most of the flats are closed

  Crystal digging and fishing trails listed as open April 1 through October 15 · Selenite Crystal Digging Area, about a mile past the gate

  The refuge says digging for crystals is allowed only in the marked dig area and that all other areas are closed to protect birds. Visitors can still look over the flats from the observation tower when the dig area is closed. Hours and rules change, so check the refuge’s current notice before a trip.

• A birding convention in the southeast

  Held in May, according to the Wildlife Department; check the organizer for the 2027 date · Red Slough Wildlife Management Area in McCurtain County

  The Department says May is when birding at Red Slough is in full swing, and that the annual Red Slough Birding Convention draws visitors from across the country, with participants often logging 100 or more species. The Department counts more than 300 bird species there, about 70 percent of Oklahoma’s documented total. We have not seen a 2027 date, so ask the organizers.

Are there bison calves on the Oklahoma prairie in May?

• Bison and calves

  By mid-May, per the Nature Conservancy · Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska; Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge near Lawton

  The preserve is open during daylight hours every day. The Conservancy’s advice is to stay in your car, since bison are dangerous, with enormous power and very pointy horns. Use binoculars, not your feet, to get closer.

• Prairie-chicken hens and broods

  After the booming season ends in early May · Tallgrass Prairie Preserve and the northwest

  The Conservancy has males dancing at dawn on the lek from late March until the first days of May. The Wildlife Department explains that after mating the females leave the lek to nest and raise their broods, and that young birds break away from the hens within two to three months.

• Wildflowers on the preserve

  Mid-May through mid-June, according to the preserve’s own page · Tallgrass Prairie Preserve

  The preserve says that from mid-May through mid-June wildflowers cover the fields with blankets of color. Dickcissels and scissor-tailed flycatchers are often seen in the warm months.

What blooms in Oklahoma in May?

• Beardtongues, evening-primroses and yucca

  Averages from May 2 to May 8 in the old central Oklahoma records · Open prairie, road cuts and pastures

  Slender beardtongue averages May 2, showy evening-primrose May 6, large beardtongue and smooth soapweed (a yucca) May 7, and Missouri evening-primrose and whorled tickseed May 8. Downy phlox averages May 4. Large beardtongue is the tall one with pale lavender tubes, and yucca throws up a spike of creamy bells.

• Indian blanket

  The Wildflower Center gives May through August; the earliest Norman record in Osborn’s list is May 15 · Sandy and limy prairies in the western two-thirds of the state, including the Wichita Mountains

  The red-and-gold flower also called firewheel and Indian blanket is an annual that reseeds readily and tolerates heat and dryness. The Wildflower Center lists bloom from May through August, longer in a wet year. It grows in dry plains and open areas, and the Center’s range map includes Oklahoma, with the plant common on limy and sandy prairies. Look for it on road shoulders and at the Wichita Mountains refuge.

• Coneflowers, lemon mint and sunflowers late in the month

  Averages May 21 to May 29 in the old records · Prairie and roadside patches

  Purple coneflower averages May 21, purple lemon-mint May 23, wild sweet-pea May 25, prairie sunflower May 24 and longhead coneflower May 29, with black-eyed Susan not far behind, since its earliest record is May 26.

• Milkweeds for monarchs

  Bluntleaf milkweed averages May 5 and oblongleaf milkweed May 6 · Prairie, open woodland and roadsides

  Milkweed flowers open in early May by the old records, which is when monarch caterpillars need leaves. Journey North invites volunteers to report the first monarch eggs, caterpillars and adults they see each spring.

Which lizards, frogs and snakes are active in Oklahoma in May?

• Eastern collared lizard

  Mating from mid-April through June; eggs laid May through July · Rocky hillsides and outcrops, such as the Wichita Mountains and the Arbuckles

  Oklahoma’s state reptile is active from as early as mid-March through September, says the Wildlife Department. Males are mostly green with faint orange markings and small yellow spots, females are brown to gray with orange blotches in breeding condition, and both have a black collar. Males and pairs bask on rocks in spring and early summer. Check boulders and fence posts along roads with rocky outcrops. Most do not survive in captivity, so look and leave.

• Gray treefrogs and Cope’s gray treefrogs

  Largest choruses in late April and May · Farm ponds, roadside ditches and wooded swamps in the eastern half of the state

  The Department says the largest choruses of gray treefrogs come in late April and May, and that in a wet year breeding can last into July or early August. The gray treefrog’s call is a melodic trill, and Cope’s gray treefrog, which looks almost identical, has a faster, harsher one.

• Snakes

  Active all month; bluff lines get more attention in late spring and summer · Rock piles, leaf litter and bluff lines

  Oklahoma has 49 snake species, and eight are venomous pit vipers: the rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouth. In 2024 the Oklahoma Poison Center reported 363 snakebite cases, and of the 210 identified by species, 76 percent were copperheads. The Department advises watching your step, avoiding bluff lines in late spring and summer, checking a five-foot circle before sitting, and getting medical care right away after a venomous bite.

What else is stirring in Oklahoma in May, from bats and bass to fawns?

• Mexican free-tailed bats

  Back from Mexico in spring; pups born in late June · Gypsum caves in the western two-thirds of the state

  The Wildlife Department says the bats spend fall and winter in Mexico and return to the southern United States in spring. Known Oklahoma maternity caves have high ceilings, large entrances and warm interiors, and all of them are in gypsum formations. Pregnant females gather in large numbers at those caves, while migrant males form separate bachelor colonies. Each female gives birth to a single pup in late June, and the young can fly about six weeks later.

• A gypsum cave you can tour

  Tours leave on the hour from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, according to the park · Alabaster Caverns State Park near Freedom

  The park describes its cavern as one of the largest natural gypsum caves in the world and the only gypsum show cave in the United States. It lists no wild caving permits from October 1 through April 30, to protect hibernating bats, and limits tours to 30 people.

• Bass, crappie and catfish

  Bass spawn at 62 to 65 °F; catfish spawn from late May into July · Ponds and lakes statewide

  The Department’s spring fishing guide says largemouth bass begin to spawn as water temperatures reach 62 to 65 °F, and that the bite can be slow for a week or so afterward. Crappie spawn at 52 °F for black and 56 °F for white crappie, and males guarding the nests keep fish biting for another week or so. Sunfishing really picks up in April and May. Channel catfish are often caught in the pre-spawn period from late April into May, and catfish spawning usually starts in late May and can run into July. The Free Fishing Days listed for 2027 are June 5 and 6.

• Fawns and fledglings

  Late May and early June are the most likely times to find a solitary fawn · Fields, yards and woodland edges

  The Wildlife Department explains that a seemingly helpless fawn is following its survival strategy while the doe feeds or beds close by. Leave it be, even if it lies alone for days. A fledgling hopping on the ground is generally still fed by its parents. Furred young rabbits, squirrels and opossums with open eyes can manage alone, and a mother rabbit calls at her nest only about twice a day.

How warm, wet and stormy is May in Oklahoma?

Is a freeze still possible in Oklahoma in May?

How much daylight does Oklahoma gain in May?

What is in the Oklahoma night sky in May 2027?

• The Eta Aquariid meteors

  Best mornings May 5, 6 and 7 before dawn · A dark place with a clear eastern horizon

  The American Meteor Society points to May 5 into May 6 as the peak, under a Moon only 2 percent lit. Its rate estimate is modest, about 10 to 30 an hour, and strongest in the tropics. Aquarius climbs the eastern sky only shortly before sunrise, so Oklahoma should see the low end. Face east for an hour before dawn.

• Venus and Saturn before sunrise

  Mornings of May 6 to 8, closest May 7 · Low in the east, with a flat horizon

  Our own calculation has Venus and Saturn closest, about 0.6 degrees, in the daytime of May 7, so the dawns of May 6 and 8 show a pair roughly a degree apart. Both hug the horizon, and Saturn is far dimmer than Venus. You will want binoculars and an unobstructed horizon.

• Mercury in the evening

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

  At 8:14 a.m. CDT on Friday, May 28, the little planet reaches its widest separation east of the Sun, 22.8 degrees, so Thursday and Friday evenings at the end of the month show it best. For central latitudes our calculation has it setting about 97 minutes after sunset on May 15. Choose a spot with a clear west-northwest horizon.

• The Moon beside Jupiter and Mars

  Jupiter on the evening of May 12; Mars near the Moon on May 13 · High in the south in the evening

  Jupiter and the Moon pair up on May 12, about 1.2 degrees apart in our figures, and a dim reddish Mars lies about 3 degrees off the Moon on May 13. Jupiter is the brilliant one and Mars a dim reddish dot.

• The Flower Moon, a seasonal Blue Moon

  Full Thursday, May 20, at 5:59 a.m. CDT; best evening Wednesday, May 19 · Anywhere with an open eastern horizon

  Tradition names May’s full Moon the Flower Moon. Fullness arrives near sunrise on the 20th, so the disk looks round on the 19th and 20th after dark. Astronomical spring 2027 holds four full moons, falling in late March, on April 20, on May 20 and on June 19. Counting seasonally, the third of those is a Blue Moon, a label that applies only under that older rule. Counting by calendar month, 2027 has none.

• Dark skies and the Milky Way

  May 1 to 14 and May 25 to 31, by our calculation · Dark country away from town lights

  For central latitudes our calculation finds moonless nights with the galactic center well up on May 1 to 14 and again May 25 to 31, with nearly four hours at the best. The glow sits low in the south, so find a dark site and allow time for your eyes to adjust.

Which nature programs and citizen science projects can you join in Oklahoma in May 2027?

Safety notes for May in Oklahoma