What's flowering for honey bees near Marana, AZ (Sonoran Desert - Tucson Basin / Santa Cruz Valley), month by month — 34 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Arizona bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fairy Duster | Calliandra eriophylla | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Wolfberry | Lycium spp. | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Desert Globemallow | Sphaeralcea ambigua | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–May | medium |
| Brittlebush | Encelia farinosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | high |
| Arizona Lupine | Lupinus arizonicus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Fiddleneck | Amsinckia intermedia | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Foothill Palo Verde | Parkinsonia microphylla | Trees | Mar–May | high |
| Blue Palo Verde | Parkinsonia florida | Trees | Mar–May | high |
| Desert Ironwood understory - Creosote Bush | Larrea tridentata | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–May | medium |
| Deer Vetch | Lotus rigidus | Clover & Legumes | Mar–May | low |
| Desert Marigold | Baileya multiradiata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–Oct | medium |
| Velvet Mesquite | Prosopis velutina | Trees | Apr–Jun | high |
| Desert Willow | Chilopsis linearis | Trees | Apr–Aug | medium |
| Catclaw Acacia | Senegalia greggii | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | high |
| Saguaro | Carnegiea gigantea | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Prickly Pear (Engelmann's) | Opuntia engelmannii | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Cholla (Staghorn) | Cylindropuntia versicolor | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | low |
| Range Ratany | Krameria erecta | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Aug | low |
| Arizona Grape (Canyon Grape) | Vitis arizonica | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | low |
| Sweet Resinbush / Rangeland Melilotus | Melilotus officinalis | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Jun | medium |
| White Sweetclover | Melilotus albus | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Jul | medium |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Oct | high |
| Indigo Bush | Psorothamnus scoparius | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Jun | medium |
| Ironwood | Olneya tesota | Trees | May–Jun | medium |
| Cotton (Upland) | Gossypium hirsutum | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Whitethorn Acacia | Vachellia constricta | Shrubs & Vines | Jul–Sep | high |
| Arizona Poppy | Kallstroemia grandiflora | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Devil's Claw | Proboscidea parviflora | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | low |
| Careless Weed (Pigweed) | Amaranthus palmeri | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Oct | medium |
| Spiny Sowthistle / Desert Sunflower relatives | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | medium |
| Desert Broom | Baccharis sarothroides | Shrubs & Vines | Sep–Nov | medium |
| Threadleaf Snakeweed | Gutierrezia microcephala | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Nov | medium |
| Rabbitbrush | Ericameria nauseosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Oct | medium |
| Desert Broom (fall bloom overlap) | Baccharis sarothroides | Shrubs & Vines | Oct–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.