What's flowering for honey bees near La Mesa, NM (Mesilla Valley / Chihuahuan Desert Basin (Rio Grande floodplain, southern NM)), month by month — 30 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More New Mexico bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Siberian Elm | Ulmus pumila | Trees | Feb–Mar | medium |
| Cottonwood (Rio Grande) | Populus deltoides ssp. wislizeni | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Fruit Orchard Bloom (Apple/Pear/Plum) | Malus/Pyrus/Prunus spp. | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Netleaf Hackberry | Celtis reticulata | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Wolfberry (Desert Thorn) | Lycium spp. | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–May | medium |
| Pecan | Carya illinoinensis | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Catclaw Acacia | Senegalia greggii | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | high |
| Apache Plume | Fallugia paradoxa | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Sep | medium |
| Range Ratany | Krameria erecta | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jul | low |
| Tamarisk (Saltcedar) | Tamarix chinensis | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Aug | medium |
| Scarlet Globemallow | Sphaeralcea coccinea | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–Sep | medium |
| Desert Marigold | Baileya multiradiata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–Oct | medium |
| Prickly Pear (Cactus) | Opuntia engelmannii | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–Jun | medium |
| Mesquite (Honey Mesquite) | Prosopis glandulosa | Trees | May–Jul | high |
| Desert Willow | Chilopsis linearis | Trees | May–Sep | high |
| Honey Locust | Gleditsia triacanthos | Trees | May–Jun | medium |
| Whitethorn Acacia | Vachellia constricta | Shrubs & Vines | May–Aug | medium |
| Wild Grape (Canyon Grape) | Vitis arizonica | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | low |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | high |
| White Sweetclover | Melilotus albus | Clover & Legumes | May–Aug | high |
| Yellow Sweetclover | Melilotus officinalis | Clover & Legumes | May–Aug | high |
| Silverleaf Nightshade | Solanum elaeagnifolium | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Sep | low |
| Desert Zinnia | Zinnia acerosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Sep | low |
| Fourwing Saltbush | Atriplex canescens | Shrubs & Vines | Jul–Sep | low |
| Common Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | high |
| Russian Thistle (Tumbleweed) | Salsola tragus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Oct | medium |
| Kochia (Summer Cypress) | Bassia scoparia | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | medium |
| Western Ragweed | Ambrosia psilostachya | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | low |
| Broom Snakeweed | Gutierrezia sarothrae | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Oct | medium |
| Rayless Goldenrod (Jimmyweed) | Isocoma pluriflora | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Nov | 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.