What's flowering for honey bees near San Marcos, CA (Coastal North County San Diego / Southern California Chaparral & Coastal Sage Scrub), month by month — 36 local nectar and pollen sources.
Open the interactive, printable calendar →← More California bee forage calendars
| Plant | Scientific name | Category | Bloom months | Forage value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| African Sumac | Rhus lancea | Trees | Jan–Mar | low |
| Manzanita (Eastwood's) | Arctostaphylos glandulosa | Shrubs & Vines | Jan–Mar | medium |
| Wild Cucumber / Manroot | Marah macrocarpa | Shrubs & Vines | Jan–Mar | medium |
| Bladderpod | Peritoma arborea (Isomeris arborea) | Shrubs & Vines | Jan–Dec | low |
| Lemonade Berry | Rhus integrifolia | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–Apr | medium |
| California Lilac (Ceanothus) | Ceanothus spp. | Shrubs & Vines | Feb–Apr | medium |
| Bur Clover | Medicago polymorpha | Clover & Legumes | Feb–May | medium |
| Fava Bean | Vicia faba | Clover & Legumes | Feb–Apr | low |
| Fiddleneck | Amsinckia intermedia | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–Apr | medium |
| California Poppy | Eschscholzia californica | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–May | medium |
| Wild Radish | Raphanus sativus | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–May | medium |
| Black Mustard | Brassica nigra | Wildflowers & Weeds | Feb–May | high |
| Coast Live Oak | Quercus agrifolia | Trees | Mar–Apr | low |
| Avocado | Persea americana | Trees | Mar–May | medium |
| Citrus (orange, lemon) | Citrus spp. | Trees | Mar–Apr | medium |
| Blue Elderberry | Sambucus nigra ssp. caerulea | Shrubs & Vines | Mar–Jun | medium |
| Crimson Clover | Trifolium incarnatum | Clover & Legumes | Mar–May | medium |
| Deerweed | Acmispon glaber (Lotus scoparius) | Clover & Legumes | Mar–Jul | medium |
| Black Locust | Robinia pseudoacacia | Trees | Apr | low |
| California Black Sage | Salvia mellifera | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | high |
| White Sage | Salvia apiana | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | high |
| Laurel Sumac | Malosma laurina | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | high |
| Chamise | Adenostoma fasciculatum | Shrubs & Vines | Apr–Jun | medium |
| Sweet Clover (yellow & white) | Melilotus officinalis / M. albus | Clover & Legumes | Apr–Jul | medium |
| Tocalote / Star Thistle | Centaurea melitensis | Wildflowers & Weeds | Apr–Jul | medium |
| Toyon | Heteromeles arbutifolia | Shrubs & Vines | May–Jul | medium |
| California Buckwheat | Eriogonum fasciculatum | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Sep | high |
| Telegraph/Common Sunflower | Helianthus annuus | Wildflowers & Weeds | May–Sep | medium |
| Fleabane / Horseweed | Erigeron canadensis (Conyza) | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jun–Sep | low |
| Telegraph Weed | Heterotheca grandiflora | Wildflowers & Weeds | Jul–Oct | medium |
| Coastal Goldenbush | Isocoma menziesii | Wildflowers & Weeds | Aug–Nov | medium |
| Carob Tree | Ceratonia siliqua | Trees | Sep–Oct | low |
| Brazilian Pepper Tree | Schinus terebinthifolius | Trees | Sep–Nov | medium |
| California Sagebrush | Artemisia californica | Shrubs & Vines | Sep–Nov | low |
| Coyote Brush | Baccharis pilularis | Shrubs & Vines | Sep–Nov | medium |
| Eucalyptus (various spp., esp. red gum & silver dollar gum) | Eucalyptus camaldulensis / E. cinerea | Trees | Dec–Mar | 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.