What's flowering for honey bees near Payson, AZ (Mogollon Rim / Central Arizona Transition Zone (Ponderosa Pine-Chaparral ecotone, ~4,900-6,000 ft)), month by month — 36 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Arizona bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alligator Juniper | Juniperus deppeana | Trees | Feb–Mar | low |
| Arizona Alder | Alnus oblongifolia | Trees | Feb–Mar | low |
| Arizona Sycamore | Platanus wrightii | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Manzanita (Pointleaf) | Arctostaphylos pungens | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Apr | high |
| Skunkbush Sumac | Rhus trilobata | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Emory Oak | Quercus emoryi | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Gambel Oak | Quercus gambelii | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Ponderosa Pine | Pinus ponderosa | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Arizona Black Walnut | Juglans major | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Netleaf Hackberry | Celtis reticulata | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Mountain Mahogany | Cercocarpus montanus | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Cliffrose | Purshia stansburiana | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | medium |
| Desert Ceanothus | Ceanothus greggii | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | medium |
| Fremont Barberry | Berberis fremontii | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–May | low |
| Arizona Lupine | Lupinus arizonicus | Clover & Legumes | Apr–May | medium |
| Desert Marigold | Baileya multiradiata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–Sep | medium |
| Globemallow | Sphaeralcea ambigua | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–Jun | medium |
| Fireweed / Summer Fiddleneck | Amsinckia intermedia | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | low |
| Velvet Mesquite | Prosopis velutina | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| New Mexico Locust | Robinia neomexicana | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| Catclaw Acacia | Senegalia greggii | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | high |
| Wild Grape | Vitis arizonica | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Apache Plume | Fallugia paradoxa | Shrubs & Vines | May–Sep | medium |
| Arizona Rosewood | Vauquelinia californica | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Yellow Sweetclover | Melilotus officinalis | Clover & Legumes | May–Aug | high |
| White Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Aug | medium |
| Deervetch | Lotus wrightii | Clover & Legumes | May–Jul | low |
| Silverleaf Nightshade | Solanum elaeagnifolium | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Sep | medium |
| Horehound | Marrubium vulgare | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Aug | medium |
| White Sweetclover | Melilotus albus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Prairie/Woolly Verbena | Verbena macdougalii | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | low |
| Common Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | high |
| Rocky Mountain Bee Plant | Cleome serrulata | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | high |
| Wright's Buckwheat | Eriogonum wrightii | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Canada Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | high |
| Spreading Fleabane / Aster spp. | Symphyotrichum spp. | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Oct | 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.