What's flowering for honey bees near Denver, CO (Colorado Front Range / South Platte Valley (semi-arid steppe, ~5,280 ft elevation)), month by month — 35 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Colorado bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siberian Elm | Ulmus pumila | Trees | Mar | medium |
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Peach/Plum/Apricot (stone fruit) | Prunus spp. | Trees | Apr | medium |
| Apple/Crabapple | Malus spp. | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Golden Currant | Ribes aureum | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Skunkbush Sumac | Rhus trilobata | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–Jun | high |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | May | high |
| Russian Olive | Elaeagnus angustifolia | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| Honey Locust | Gleditsia triacanthos | Trees | May–Jun | medium |
| Chokecherry | Prunus virginiana | Shrubs & Vines | May | medium |
| Wild Grape | Vitis riparia | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | low |
| White Dutch Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | high |
| Catalpa | Catalpa speciosa | Trees | Jun | medium |
| Virginia Creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | low |
| Yellow Sweet Clover | Melilotus officinalis | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| White Sweet Clover | Melilotus albus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Purple Prairie Clover | Dalea purpurea | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Wild Bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Rocky Mountain Bee Plant | Cleome serrulata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Sep | high |
| Purple Coneflower | Echinacea angustifolia | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Fourwing Saltbush | Atriplex canescens | Shrubs & Vines | Jul–Aug | low |
| Sunflower (annual) | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | high |
| Purple Loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Curlycup Gumweed | Grindelia squarrosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Canada Thistle | Cirsium arvense | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Russian Sage | Perovskia atriplicifolia | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Rubber Rabbitbrush | Ericameria nauseosa | Shrubs & Vines | Aug–Sep | high |
| Canada Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | high |
| Showy Goldenrod | Solidago speciosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | high |
| Heath Aster | Symphyotrichum ericoides | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Oct | high |
| Smooth Blue Aster | Symphyotrichum laeve | 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.