What's flowering for honey bees near Auburn, CA (Sierra Nevada Foothills (Lower Elevation Gold Country / Auburn, CA)), month by month — 35 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More California bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Almond | Prunus dulcis | Trees | Feb–Mar | high |
| Willow (Arroyo/Sandbar) | Salix spp. | Trees | Feb–Mar | high |
| Manzanita (Whiteleaf/Common) | Arctostaphylos manzanita | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–Mar | high |
| Black Mustard | Brassica nigra | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | high |
| Miner's Lettuce | Claytonia perfoliata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | low |
| Redbud | Cercis occidentalis | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Fruit trees (Plum, Cherry, Apple, Pear - orchard & feral) | Prunus/Malus/Pyrus spp. | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Valley Oak / Interior Live Oak | Quercus lobata / Quercus wislizeni | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Bigleaf Maple | Acer macrophyllum | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Ceanothus (Buckbrush/Wild Lilac) | Ceanothus cuneatus / C. integerrimus | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–May | high |
| Vetch | Vicia spp. | Clover & Legumes | Mar–May | medium |
| Bur Clover | Medicago polymorpha | Clover & Legumes | Mar–May | medium |
| Fiddleneck | Amsinckia intermedia | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–May | medium |
| California Poppy | Eschscholzia californica | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–May | low |
| Lupine | Lupinus spp. | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–May | medium |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | Apr–May | high |
| Blue Elderberry | Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | medium |
| California Buckthorn/Coffeeberry | Frangula californica | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | medium |
| California Wild Grape | Vitis californica | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | low |
| Rose Clover | Trifolium hirtum | Clover & Legumes | Apr–May | medium |
| White Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Jun | high |
| California Buckeye | Aesculus californica | Trees | May–Jun | low |
| Chinese Tallow (naturalized ornamental) | Triadica sebifera | Trees | May–Jun | medium |
| Wild Blackberry (Himalayan/California) | Rubus armeniacus / R. ursinus | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | high |
| Himalayan Honeysuckle/Privet (naturalized ornamental hedges) | Ligustrum spp. | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| California Buckeye alternative - Toyon | Heteromeles arbutifolia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Toyon (Christmas Berry) | Heteromeles arbutifolia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Star Thistle | Centaurea solstitialis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Sep | high |
| Common Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Yellow Star-thistle relative - Tarweed | Hemizonia/Centromadia spp. | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Telegraph Weed | Heterotheca grandiflora | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | medium |
| Canada Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| California Aster | Symphyotrichum chilense | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| Coyote Brush | Baccharis pilularis | Shrubs & Vines | Sep–Nov | medium |
| Eucalyptus (various naturalized species) | Eucalyptus spp. | Trees | Nov–Feb | high |
A bee forage bloom calendar shows which nectar and pollen plants are blooming in a given area, month by month, so beekeepers can plan colony buildup, splits, and honey harvests around the local bloom.
Every calendar starts with your zip code's specific growing region — its climate, elevation, and local ecology. From there, we use AI trained on horticultural and beekeeping knowledge to work out which nectar and pollen plants actually grow there and when they typically bloom, the same kind of judgment call an experienced local beekeeping mentor or extension agent would make, just automated so any US zip code can get a calendar in minutes instead of years of local observation. Each calendar typically covers 25-40 plants across trees, shrubs and vines, clover and legumes, and wildflowers, plus the area's named honey flows. We keep the exact generation process under wraps, but the goal is always the same: real, locally-grounded bloom timing instead of generic national averages.
The region-specific bloom timing, honey flows, and beekeeping notes are produced by an AI system drawing on general horticultural, ecological, and beekeeping knowledge, applied to your area's specific climate and geography — rather than looked up from a single official bloom-timing database, since no such nationwide dataset exists at this level of local detail.
A nectar dearth (or dearth period) is a stretch of the year when little or no medium-to-high value forage is blooming. Colonies may need supplemental feeding during a dearth to avoid starvation or robbing behavior.
A honey flow (or nectar flow) is a period when nectar is abundant enough for a colony to produce surplus honey beyond what it needs to survive, often tied to a specific major regional bloom like clover or black locust.
Bloom timing is generated from regional climate and ecology data and is intended as a general planning reference. It may not perfectly match a specific microclimate, so it's worth cross-checking against your own field observations.
Yes. Enter any US zip code to get a free, printable bee forage bloom calendar — no signup required.