What's flowering for honey bees near Lincoln, NE (Eastern Nebraska Till Plains / Tallgrass Prairie-Corn Belt Transition), month by month — 40 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Nebraska bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum | Trees | Mar | medium |
| Siberian Elm | Ulmus pumila | Trees | Mar | low |
| Willow (various) | Salix spp. | Trees | Mar–Apr | high |
| American Elm | Ulmus americana | Trees | Mar | low |
| Eastern Redbud | Cercis canadensis | Trees | Apr | medium |
| Wild Plum | Prunus americana | Trees | Apr | high |
| Crabapple | Malus ioensis | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Black Cherry | Prunus serotina | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Apple | Malus domestica | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Hackberry | Celtis occidentalis | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Common Lilac | Syringa vulgaris | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | low |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | medium |
| Henbit | Lamium amplexicaule | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | medium |
| Purple Deadnettle | Lamium purpureum | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | medium |
| Wild Mustard/Field Pennycress | Brassica spp. / Thlaspi arvense | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | low |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | May | high |
| Honey Locust | Gleditsia triacanthos | Trees | May–Jun | medium |
| Wild Grape | Vitis riparia | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | low |
| Wild Raspberry/Blackberry | Rubus spp. | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| White Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | high |
| Catalpa | Catalpa speciosa | Trees | Jun | medium |
| Basswood / American Linden | Tilia americana | Trees | Jun–Jul | high |
| Sumac (Smooth/Staghorn) | Rhus glabra / typhina | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Wild Rose | Rosa arkansana | Shrubs & Vines | Jun | low |
| Buttonbush | Cephalanthus occidentalis | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Virginia Creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | low |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | medium |
| Sweet Clover (Yellow & White) | Melilotus officinalis / albus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Purple Prairie Clover | Dalea purpurea | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Birdsfoot Trefoil | Lotus corniculatus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | high |
| Bergamot / Bee Balm | Monarda fistulosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Prairie Coneflower | Ratibida columnifera | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Partridge Pea | Chamaecrista fasciculata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Prairie Sunflower/Common Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | high |
| Ironweed | Vernonia baldwinii | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Canada Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | 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.