What's flowering for honey bees near Capitan, NM (Sacramento Mountains foothills / Capitan Mountains, south-central New Mexico (Lincoln County, ~6,300 ft elevation, pinyon-juniper & montane woodland transition)), month by month — 36 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More New Mexico bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rocky Mountain Juniper | Juniperus scopulorum | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Box Elder | Acer negundo | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Siberian Elm | Ulmus pumila | Trees | Mar | medium |
| Alligator Juniper | Juniperus deppeana | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| New Mexico Privet | Forestiera pubescens | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Gambel Oak | Quercus gambelii | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Netleaf Hackberry | Celtis reticulata | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Apple/domestic fruit trees | Malus domestica | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Skunkbush Sumac | Rhus trilobata | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Wild Currant | Ribes cereum | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Common Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | medium |
| New Mexico Locust | Robinia neomexicana | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| Ponderosa Pine | Pinus ponderosa | Trees | May–Jun | low |
| Apache Plume | Fallugia paradoxa | Shrubs & Vines | May–Sep | medium |
| Cliff Fendlerbush | Fendlera rupicola | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Chokecherry | Prunus virginiana | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Wild Grape | Vitis arizonica | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | low |
| Yucca | Yucca elata / Yucca baccata | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jul | medium |
| White Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Aug | medium |
| Silvery Lupine | Lupinus argenteus | Clover & Legumes | May–Jul | low |
| Scarlet Globemallow | Sphaeralcea coccinea | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Aug | medium |
| New Mexico Thistle | Cirsium neomexicanum | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Jul | medium |
| Fourwing Saltbush | Atriplex canescens | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Aug | low |
| White Sweetclover | Melilotus albus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Yellow Sweetclover | Melilotus officinalis | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Purple Prairie Clover | Dalea purpurea | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Western Yarrow | Achillea millefolium | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | low |
| Showy Milkweed | Asclepias speciosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Wild Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Rocky Mountain Bee Plant | Cleome serrulata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | high |
| Curlycup Gumweed | Grindelia squarrosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Broom Snakeweed | Gutierrezia sarothrae | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | medium |
| Tall Goldenrod | Solidago altissima / S. canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| Hoary Aster | Dieteria canescens | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| Rubber Rabbitbrush | Ericameria nauseosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Oct | 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.