What's flowering for honey bees near Ellicott City, MD (Piedmont (Maryland Piedmont Plateau, Patapsco River Valley)), month by month — 40 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Maryland bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Maple | Acer rubrum | Trees | Feb–Mar | medium |
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum | Trees | Feb–Mar | medium |
| American Elm | Ulmus americana | Trees | Feb–Mar | low |
| Willow (various) | Salix spp. | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Serviceberry | Amelanchier arborea | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–May | medium |
| Henbit | Lamium amplexicaule | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–Apr | low |
| Common Chickweed | Stellaria media | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–Apr | low |
| Eastern Redbud | Cercis canadensis | Trees | Apr | medium |
| Flowering Dogwood | Cornus florida | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Black Cherry | Prunus serotina | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Apple/Crabapple | Malus spp. | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Autumn Olive | Elaeagnus umbellata | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Crimson Clover | Trifolium incarnatum | Clover & Legumes | Apr–May | medium |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | May | high |
| Tuliptree (Tulip Poplar) | Liriodendron tulipifera | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| American Holly | Ilex opaca | Trees | May | low |
| Multiflora Rose | Rosa multiflora | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Blackberry | Rubus allegheniensis | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Japanese Honeysuckle | Lonicera japonica | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jul | medium |
| Wild Grape | Vitis spp. | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | low |
| White Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Jul | high |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | Clover & Legumes | May–Aug | medium |
| Alsike Clover | Trifolium hybridum | Clover & Legumes | May–Jul | medium |
| Black Medic | Medicago lupulina | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | low |
| Crown Vetch | Securigera varia | Clover & Legumes | May–Jul | medium |
| American Basswood (Linden) | Tilia americana | Trees | Jun | high |
| Sourwood | Oxydendrum arboreum | Trees | Jun–Jul | high |
| Sumac | Rhus spp. | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Virginia Creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | low |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Queen Anne's Lace | Daucus carota | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | low |
| Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Knapweed | Centaurea stoebe | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Sep | medium |
| Trumpet Creeper | Campsis radicans | Shrubs & Vines | Jul–Aug | low |
| Purple Loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Joe-Pye Weed | Eutrochium purpureum | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Spotted Jewelweed | Impatiens capensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Goldenrod (various) | Solidago spp. | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| New York Aster / Frost Aster | Symphyotrichum spp. | 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.