What's flowering for honey bees near Sac City, IA (Des Moines Lobe / North-Central Iowa Till Plains (Prairie Pothole region)), month by month — 39 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More Iowa bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Silver Maple | Acer saccharinum | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Boxelder | Acer negundo | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| American Elm | Ulmus americana | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Willow (Pussy/Sandbar) | Salix spp. | Trees | Apr | high |
| Eastern Cottonwood | Populus deltoides | Trees | Apr | low |
| Wild Plum | Prunus americana | Trees | Apr–May | medium |
| Green Ash | Fraxinus pennsylvanica | Trees | Apr–May | low |
| Dandelion | Taraxacum officinale | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–May | high |
| Apple/Crabapple | Malus spp. | Trees | May | medium |
| Black Cherry | Prunus serotina | Trees | May | medium |
| Hawthorn | Crataegus spp. | Trees | May | medium |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | May–Jun | high |
| Honeylocust | Gleditsia triacanthos | Trees | May–Jun | medium |
| Wild Raspberry/Blackberry | Rubus spp. | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| Chokecherry | Prunus virginiana | Shrubs & Vines | May | medium |
| Gray Dogwood | Cornus racemosa | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jun | medium |
| White Clover | Trifolium repens | Clover & Legumes | May–Sep | high |
| Basswood (American Linden) | Tilia americana | Trees | Jun–Jul | high |
| American Wild Grape | Vitis riparia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun | low |
| American Elderberry | Sambucus canadensis | Shrubs & Vines | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Virginia Creeper | Parthenocissus quinquefolia | Shrubs & Vines | Jun | low |
| Red Clover | Trifolium pratense | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | medium |
| Alsike Clover | Trifolium hybridum | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Alfalfa | Medicago sativa | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Sep | high |
| Sweet Yellow Clover | Melilotus officinalis | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Sweet White Clover | Melilotus albus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | high |
| Birdsfoot Trefoil | Lotus corniculatus | Clover & Legumes | Jun–Aug | medium |
| Common Milkweed | Asclepias syriaca | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | high |
| Purple Prairie Clover | Dalea purpurea | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Jul | medium |
| Canada Thistle | Cirsium arvense | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Aug | high |
| Wild Bergamot | Monarda fistulosa | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Bull Thistle | Cirsium vulgare | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Aug | medium |
| Wild Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Sep | medium |
| Smartweed | Persicaria pensylvanica | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | medium |
| Late Boneset | Eupatorium serotinum | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | low |
| Canada Goldenrod | Solidago canadensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | high |
| Stiff Goldenrod | Solidago rigida | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Sep | high |
| New England Aster | Symphyotrichum novae-angliae | Wildflowers & Weeds | Sep–Oct | high |
| Heath Aster | Symphyotrichum ericoides | 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.