What's flowering for honey bees near Columbus, NE (Eastern Nebraska Loess Plains / Platte River Valley), month by month — 37 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Nebraska bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum | Trees | Mar | medium |
| American Elm | Ulmus americana | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Willow (various) | Salix spp. | Trees | Mar–Apr | high |
| Boxelder | Acer negundo | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Eastern Redbud | Cercis canadensis | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Wild Plum | Prunus americana | Trees | Apr–May | high |
| Apple/Crabapple | Malus spp. | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| American Plum thicket / Sandbar Willow | Salix interior | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | medium |
| Chokecherry | Prunus virginiana | Trees | May | medium |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| Wild Grape | Vitis riparia | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | low |
| White Dutch Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | high |
| Black Medic | Medicago lupulina | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | low |
| Curly Dock | Rumex crispus | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Jun | low |
| Basswood/American Linden | Tilia americana | Trees | Jun–Jul | high |
| Catalpa | Catalpa speciosa | Trees | Jun | low |
| Common Elderberry | Sambucus canadensis | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Wild Rose | Rosa arkansana | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Virginia Creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | low |
| Smooth Sumac | Rhus glabra | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Sweet Clover (Yellow & White) | Melilotus officinalis / M. albus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Alsike Clover | Trifolium hybridum | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Purple Prairie Clover | Dalea purpurea | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Canada Thistle | Cirsium arvense | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | high |
| Yellow Sweetclover volunteer stands | Melilotus officinalis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | high |
| Buckbrush / Coralberry | Symphoricarpos orbiculatus | Shrubs & Vines | Jul–Aug | low |
| Wild Bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Prairie Sunflower | Helianthus petiolaris | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | high |
| Late Boneset / Snow-on-the-mountain | Eupatorium/ Euphorbia marginata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | low |
| Maximilian Sunflower | Helianthus maximiliani | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | medium |
| Canada Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| New England Aster | Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Oct | high |
| Heath Aster | Symphyotrichum ericoides | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Oct | medium |
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.