What's flowering for honey bees near Millstadt, IL (Southwestern Illinois / American Bottom & Bluffs (Mississippi River floodplain-upland transition near St. Louis metro east)), month by month — 39 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Illinois bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum | Trees | Feb–Mar | medium |
| Red Maple | Acer rubrum | Trees | Feb–Mar | medium |
| American Elm | Ulmus americana | Trees | Feb–Mar | low |
| Wild Plum | Prunus americana | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Henbit | Lamium amplexicaule | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Purple Deadnettle | Lamium purpureum | Wildflowers & Weeds | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Eastern Redbud | Cercis canadensis | Trees | Apr | medium |
| Flowering Dogwood | Cornus florida | Trees | Apr | low |
| Black Cherry | Prunus serotina | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Apple/Crabapple | Malus spp. | Trees | Apr | medium |
| Black Walnut | Juglans nigra | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Crimson Clover | Trifolium incarnatum | Clover & Legumes | Apr–May | medium |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | medium |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | May | high |
| Tuliptree (Tulip Poplar) | Liriodendron tulipifera | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| Honey Locust | Gleditsia triacanthos | Trees | May | medium |
| Catalpa | Catalpa speciosa | Trees | May–Jun | low |
| Multiflora Rose | Rosa multiflora | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Blackberry | Rubus allegheniensis | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Wild Grape | Vitis riparia | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | low |
| White Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | high |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | medium |
| American Basswood | Tilia americana | Trees | Jun | high |
| Elderberry | Sambucus canadensis | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | low |
| Buttonbush | Cephalanthus occidentalis | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Virginia Creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | low |
| Sweet Clover (White & Yellow) | Melilotus albus / M. officinalis | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Queen Anne's Lace | Daucus carota | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | low |
| Trumpet Creeper | Campsis radicans | Shrubs & Vines | Jul–Aug | low |
| Partridge Pea | Chamaecrista fasciculata | Clover & Legumes | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Wild Bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Ironweed | Vernonia baldwinii | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Late Boneset | Eupatorium serotinum | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | low |
| Canada Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| Spanish Needles/Beggarticks | Bidens bipinnata / B. frondosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | medium |
| New England Aster | Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Oct | high |
| Frost Aster | Symphyotrichum pilosum | 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.