What's flowering for honey bees near Billings, MT (Northwestern Great Plains / Yellowstone River Valley (Billings, MT)), month by month — 36 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Montana bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siberian Elm | Ulmus pumila | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Boxelder | Acer negundo | Trees | Apr | medium |
| American Plum | Prunus americana | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Green Ash | Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Plains Cottonwood | Populus deltoides | Trees | Apr | low |
| Rocky Mountain Juniper | Juniperus scopulorum | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Golden Currant | Ribes aureum | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Silver Buffaloberry | Shepherdia argentea | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | low |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | medium |
| Chokecherry | Prunus virginiana | Trees | May | medium |
| Russian Olive | Elaeagnus angustifolia | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| Skunkbush Sumac | Rhus trilobata | Shrubs & Vines | May | medium |
| Caragana / Siberian Peashrub | Caragana arborescens | Shrubs & Vines | May | medium |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | Jun | medium |
| Wild Rose | Rosa woodsii | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Common Snowberry | Symphoricarpos albus | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Wild Grape | Vitis riparia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun | low |
| White Dutch Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Alsike Clover | Trifolium hybridum | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Yellow Sweetclover | Melilotus officinalis | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| White Sweetclover | Melilotus albus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Cicer Milkvetch | Astragalus cicer | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Canada Thistle | Cirsium arvense | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | high |
| Prairie Coneflower | Ratibida columnifera | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | low |
| Alfalfa Weed / Field Bindweed | Convolvulus arvensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Sep | medium |
| Prickly Lettuce | Lactuca serriola | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | low |
| Wild Licorice | Glycyrrhiza lepidota | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | low |
| Fireweed | Chamaenerion angustifolium | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Sunflower (common) | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | high |
| Common Mullein | Verbascum thapsus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | low |
| Curlycup Gumweed | Grindelia squarrosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Rubber Rabbitbrush | Ericameria nauseosa | Shrubs & Vines | Aug–Sep | high |
| Canada Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | high |
| Rush Skeletonweed / Prairie Aster complex | Symphyotrichum ericoides | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | 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.