What's flowering for honey bees near Gig Harbor, WA (Puget Sound Lowlands / South Puget Sound Basin), month by month — 35 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Washington bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Alder | Alnus rubra | Trees | Feb–Mar | medium |
| Willow (Scouler's/Pacific) | Salix scouleriana | Trees | Feb–Apr | high |
| Sweet Cherry/Plum (Prunus spp.) | Prunus avium/domestica | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Salmonberry | Rubus spectabilis | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Apr | high |
| Red-flowering Currant | Ribes sanguineum | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Oregon Grape | Mahonia aquifolium | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–May | high |
| Bigleaf Maple | Acer macrophyllum | Trees | Apr–May | high |
| Domestic Apple | Malus domestica | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Douglas Fir | Pseudotsuga menziesii | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Madrone | Arbutus menziesii | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Vine Maple | Acer circinatum | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Red Elderberry | Sambucus racemosa | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | low |
| Scotch Broom | Cytisus scoparius | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Jun | medium |
| Cascara | Frangula purshiana | Trees | May–Jun | medium |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| Trailing Blackberry | Rubus ursinus | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | high |
| White Dutch Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | high |
| Vetch (Common/Hairy) | Vicia sativa/villosa | Clover & Legumes | May–Jul | medium |
| Himalayan Blackberry | Rubus armeniacus | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | high |
| Ocean Spray | Holodiscus discolor | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Snowberry | Symphoricarpos albus | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | low |
| Himalayan/Evergreen Blackberry mix hedgerows | Rubus laciniatus | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | high |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | medium |
| Bird's-foot Trefoil | Lotus corniculatus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Canada Thistle | Cirsium arvense | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Self-heal | Prunella vulgaris | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | low |
| Common Yarrow | Achillea millefolium | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | low |
| Fireweed | Chamaenerion angustifolium | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | high |
| Tansy Ragwort | Jacobaea vulgaris | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Pearly Everlasting | Anaphalis margaritacea | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | low |
| Purple Loosestrife | Lythrum salicaria | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | high |
| Douglas Aster | Symphyotrichum subspicatum | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| English Ivy | Hedera helix | Shrubs & Vines | 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.