Plants

Pollen Sources

Spring

[edit]Trees and shrubs - Spring

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Availability	Source for honeybees
Maple	Acer spp.	Feb - Apr	light yellow	feral	fair
Manitoba Maple(Box elder)	Acer negundo	Feb - Apr	light olive	feral	good
Norway maple	Acer platanoides	Apr - May	yellow green, olive	feral	fair
Red Maple	Acer rubrum	Mar - Apr	grey brown	feral
Grey Alder	Alnus incana	Feb - Apr	brownish yellow	feral
American Chestnut	Castanea dentata	May - Jun		mostly ornamental
Sweet Chestnut	Castanea sativa	May		feral	good
Common Hackberry	Celtis occidentalis	Apr - May		feral
Flowering Quince	Chaenomeles japonica, Chaenomeles lagenaria, Chaenomeles speciosa 'Nivalis', Chaenomeles x superba	Apr - May		feral	good
American Hazel	Corylus americana	Mar - Apr	light green	feral and ornamental	fair/good
Hawthorn	Crataegus spp.	Apr - May	yellow brown	feral	fair
White Ash	Fraxinus americana	Apr - May
Honey Locust	Gleditsia triancanthos	May - Jun		feral
American holly	Ilex opaca	Apr - Jun		feral
Walnut	Juglans spp.	Apr - May		cultivated	fair
Tulip-tree	Lirodendron tulipifera	May - Jun	cream	feral and ornamental	good
Crab Apple	Malus spp.	Mar - Jun	light olive	ornamental
Apple	Malus domestica, Malus sylvestris	Apr - May	yellow white	cultivated and ornamental	very good
American Sycamore	Platanus occidentalis	Apr - May	light olive	feral
Plum	Prunus spp.	Apr - May	light grey, grey	ornamental and cultivated
Almond	Prunus amygdalus	Feb	light brown to brown pollen - not considered a good pollen source but bees are the primary pollinator	cultivated mostly in California	fair
Wild Cherry	Prunus avium	Apr - May	yellow brown, light brown	feral	very good
Cherry Plum	Prunus cerasifera		light brown to brown	feral	fair
Sour Cherry	Prunus cerasus	Apr - May	dark yellow	ornamental and cultivated	very good
Peach	Prunus persica	Apr - May	reddish yellow	ornamental and cultivated	good
Black Cherry	Prunus serotina	Apr - May		feral	minor
Blackthorn	Prunus spinosa			feral	good
Pear	Pyrus communis	Apr - May	red yellow	ornamental and cultivated	good
Oak	Quercus spp.	May		feral
Oak	Quercus robur, Quercus pedunculata	May	light olive	feral	minor
Black Locust	Robinia pseudoacacia	May - Jun		feral
Blackberry	Rubus spp.	May - Jun	light grey	feral and cultivated
Raspberry	Rubus idaeus	May - Jun	white grey	feral and cultivated	good
Willow	Salix spp.	Feb - Apr	lemon	feral	good
White Willow	Salix alba			feral	good
Goat Willow	Salix caprea	Mar - Apr		feral	very good
Violet Willow	Salix daphnoides	Mar - Apr		feral	very good
Pussy Willow	Salix discolor	Mar - Apr		feral and ornamental
Basket Willow	Salix purpurea	Mar - Apr		feral	very good
Silky leaf osier, Smith's Willow	Salix x smithiana	Apr - May			very good
American mountain ash	Sorbus americana	May-Jun		feral
American Elm	Ulmus americana	Feb - Apr	light grey	feral
Winged Elm	Ulmus alata	Feb - Mar	pale yellow	feral	good
Europea field elm	Ulmus americana			feral	good

Flowers and annual crop plants - Spring

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Availability	Source for honeybees
Ajuga (Bronze Bugle, Common Bugle)	Ajuga reptans	mid spring
Chives	Allium schoenoprasum	May - Sep		cultivated?
Asparagus	Asparagus officinalis	May - Jun	bright orange	cultivated
Mustard	Brassica arvenisi	Apr - May	lemon	cultivated and feral
Canola	Brassica napus	May - Jun	lemon	extensively cultivated	very good
Yellow Crocus	Crocus vernus (syn. Crocus aureus)	April	orange yellow	feral and ornamental	fair
Leopard's Bane	Doronicum cordatum	Apr - May
Winter aconite	Eranthis hyemalis	Mar - Apr	yellow	feral and ornamental	good
Snowdrop	Galanthus nivalis	Mar - Apr	orange, red		fair
Henbit	Lamium amplexicaule	April	orange red, red, purplish red	Apr - Jul	poor
White Sweet Clover	Melilotus alba	May - Aug	yellow to dark yellow	feral and cultivated	good
Yellow Sweet Clover	Melilotus officinalis	May - Aug	yellow to dark yellow	feral and cultivated
Sainfoin	Onobrychis viciifolia	May - Jul	yellow brown		very good
Siberian squill	Scilla sibirica	Mar - Apr	steel blue	feral and ornamental	good
White mustard	Sinapis alba	June	lemon	feral and cultivated	good
Chick weed	Stellaria media	Apr - Jul	yellowish	feral	minor
Dandelion	Taraxacum officinale	Apr - May	red yellow, orange	feral	very good

[edit]Summer

[edit]Trees and shrubs - Summer

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Availability	Source for honeybees
Red Horse chestnut	Aesculus carnea		raisin [3]	feral
Horse chestnut	Aesculus hippocastanum	May - Jun after 80-110 growing degree days.	anatolia [3]	feral	good
Southern Catalpa	Catalpa bignonioides	Jun - Jul		ornamental	fair
Northern Catalpa	Catalpa speciosa	Jun - Jul		ornamental
Bluebeard	Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Heavenly Blue'	Aug - Sep			very good
Virginia creeper	Parthenocissus quinquefolia	Jul - Aug			good
Boston Ivy 'Veitchii'	Parthenocissus tricuspidata 'Veitchii'	Jun - Jul			good
Sumac	Rhus glabra	Jun - Jul
Elder	Sambucus canadensis	Jun - Jul	canary yellow [3]
Basswood or American Linden	Tilia americana	Jun - Jul	yellow to light orange	feral and ornamental
Little Leaf Linden	Tilia cordata		citrine [3]	feral
Blueberry	Vaccínium myrtíllus	Jun	red yellow, orange	cultivated	poor

[edit]Flowers and annual crop plants - Summer

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Availability	Source for honeybees
Allium	Allium spp.			feral and cultivated
Onion	Allium cepa		light olive	cultivated
Chives	Allium schoenoprasum	May - Sep		feral and cultivated
Garlic chives	Allium tuberosa	Aug - Sep		feral and cultivated
Leadwort syn. Indigobush	Amorpha fruticosa	Jun - Jul		ornamental?
Aster	Aster spp.	Sep-Frost	reddish yellow	feral and ornamental
Land-in-blue, Bushy Aster	Aster x dumosus	Aug - Sep	bronze yellow [3]	feral
Borage	Borago officinalis	Jun - Frost	blueish grey	ornamental
Marigold	Calendula officinalis	Jun - Sep	orange
Heather sp.	Calluna vulgaris	Jul - Aug	yellow white, white		good
Hemp	Cannabis sativa	Aug	yellow green		good source
Blue Thistle	Carduus spp.
Star thistle	Centaurea spp.	Jul - Sep
Persian centaurea	Centaurea dealbata		hemp [3]
Knapweed	Centaurea macrocephala	Jul - Aug			good
Knapweed	Centaurea nigra		very light olive
Chicory	Cichorium intybus L.		white
Cotoneaster	Cotoneaster spp.				good
Cucumber	Cucumis spp.		pale yellow	cultivated
Melons	Cucumis melo	Jun-Frost	pale yellow	cultivated
Pumpkin	Cucurbita pepo	Jun-Frost	bright yellow	cultivated
Fireweed	Epilobium angustifolium	Jul - Aug	blue	feral
Joe-Pye weed, Bluestem	Eutrochium spp.; Eupatorium purpureum	Aug - Sep	bistre green
Buckwheat	Fagopyrum esculentum	Jul - Aug	light yellow to light green	cultivated	good source
Blue vine	Gonolobus laevis syn. Cynanchum laeve
Sunflower	Helianthus annuus	Jun - Sep	golden	feral and cultivated
Jewelweed	Impatients capensis		yellowish white
Alyssum	Lobularia maritima	Jun - Sep
Lupin	Lupinus sp.	Jun - Jul	white, yellow or blue		minor
Mallow	Malva alcea	Jun - Sep
Alfalfa	Medicago sativa	July - Aug	khaki [3]	feral and cultivated
Clover	Melilotus spp. and Trifolium spp.	May - Aug		feral and cultivated
White Sweet Clover	Melilotus alba		auburn [3]	feral and cultivated
Yellow Sweet Clover	Melilotus officinalis		auburn [3]	feral and cultivated
Basil	Ocimum basilicum			ornamental
Poppy	Papaver orientale	May - Jul	blueish grey	ornamental only	good source[4]
Poppy	Papaver somniverum	May - Jun	grey	feral and ornamental	very good source
Phacelia	Phacelia tanacetifolia	Jun - Sep	navy blue	feral and cultivated	good source
Smartweed	Polygonum spp.	Aug - Sep
Common Chickweed	Stellaria media	Apr - Jul			minor source
Germander	Teucrium chamaedrys	Jul - Aug
Alsike Clover	Trifolium hybridum		yellow brown		good source
Crimson Clover	Trifolium incarnatum		dark brown
White Clover	Trifolium repens	Jun - Jul	caledonian brown		good source
Cat-tail	Typha latifolia	Jun - Jul
Common vetch[verification needed]	Vicia cracca	Jul - Aug
Spring Vetch[verification needed]	Vicia sativa	Jul - Aug
Sweet Corn	Zea mays	Jun - Jul	yellowish white	cultivated

[edit]Fall

[edit]Trees and shrubs - Fall

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Availability	Source for honeybees
Chinese Elm, Lacebark Elm	Ulmus parvifolia	Aug - Sep		ornamental	good

[edit]Flowers and annual crop plants - Fall

Common name	Latin name	Blooming months	Pollen color	Availability	Source for honeybees
Aster	Aster spp.	Sep-Frost	reddish yellow
Borage	Borago officinalis	Jun - Frost
Melons	Cucumis melo	Jun-Frost		cultivated
Sweet autumn clematis	Clematis ternifolia	late Sept	white	ornamental
Pumpkin	Cucurbita pepo	Jun-Frost	bright yellow	cultivated
Ivy	Hedera spp.	Sep - Oct	dull yellow or black?	feral and ornamental
Goldenrod	Solidago spp.	Sep - Oct	golden	feral

Source: Wikipedia

Wikipedia Pollen Source