What's flowering for honey bees near La Quinta, CA (Colorado Desert / Coachella Valley), month by month — 34 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More California bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Citrus (orange/grapefruit) | Citrus spp. | Trees | Feb–Apr | high |
| Chuparosa | Justicia californica | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–May | medium |
| Brittlebush | Encelia farinosa | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Fairy Duster | Calliandra eriophylla | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Desert Ironwood understory Bursage | Ambrosia dumosa | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–Apr | low |
| Desert Ironclad Lupine | Lupinus arizonicus | Clover & Legumes | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Desert Chicory | Rafinesquia neomexicana | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | low |
| Desert Sunflower | Geraea canescens | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Desert Sand Verbena | Abronia villosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Desert Dandelion | Malacothrix glabrata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | low |
| Blue Palo Verde | Parkinsonia florida | Trees | Mar–May | high |
| Tamarisk (Saltcedar) | Tamarix ramosissima | Trees | Mar–Sep | medium |
| Creosote Bush | Larrea tridentata | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–May | medium |
| Desert Lavender | Condea emoryi | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–May | high |
| Rock Hibiscus / Desert Rose-mallow | Hibiscus denudatus | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Jun | low |
| Bougainvillea | Bougainvillea spp. | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Nov | low |
| Deervetch | Lotus rigidus | Clover & Legumes | Mar–May | low |
| Ironwood | Olneya tesota | Trees | Apr–Jun | medium |
| Honey Mesquite | Prosopis glandulosa | Trees | Apr–Jul | high |
| Screwbean Mesquite | Prosopis pubescens | Trees | Apr–Jun | medium |
| Tecoma / Yellow Bells | Tecoma stans | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Nov | medium |
| Catclaw Acacia | Senegalia greggii | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | high |
| Desert Sweet Pea / Indigo Bush | Psorothamnus spinosus / schottii | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | medium |
| White Sweetclover | Melilotus albus | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Jul | high |
| Yellow Sweetclover | Melilotus officinalis | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Jul | high |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Oct | high |
| Common Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–Sep | medium |
| Desert Willow | Chilopsis linearis | Trees | May–Sep | medium |
| California Fan Palm | Washingtonia filifera | Trees | May–Jun | low |
| Bermuda Grass Flats Weeds (mixed forbs) | Various | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Sep | low |
| Arrowweed | Pluchea sericea | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Sep | low |
| Tamarisk-adjacent Pluchea (Marsh Fleabane) | Pluchea odorata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Oct | low |
| Desert Broom | Baccharis sarothroides | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Nov | medium |
| Rabbitbrush | Ericameria/Chrysothamnus spp. | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Nov | 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.