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Plants for Year-Round Bee
Forage
This is an incomplete list of both wild and commercially-available plants
that are important sources of pollen and nectar for bees in the South. It is
important for bees, especially bumble bees, to have an unbroken succession
of bloom all summer to build up their local populations. If you want to
encourage bee populations, grow or encourage plants from this list so that
bloom is more-or-less continuous on your property. |
|
Bloom Season |
Common Name |
Type |
Scientific Name |
Availability |
|
Feb |
Red Maple |
tree |
Acer rubrum |
Feral |
|
Feb-Mar |
Redbud |
tree |
Cercis canadensis |
Feral |
|
|
Titi |
shrub |
Cyrilla racemiflora |
Feral, coastal plain |
|
Mar |
Native Blueberry |
shrub |
Vaccinium elliottii |
Feral |
|
Mar-Apr |
Canola |
ann. |
Brassica napus |
Commercial oilseed |
|
|
Henbit |
per. herb |
Lamium amplexicaule |
Feral |
|
|
Jessamine |
shrub |
Gelsemium sempervirens |
Feral |
|
Apr |
Tupelo |
tree |
Nyssa sylvatica |
Feral, coastal plain river bottoms |
|
Apr-May |
Apple |
tree |
Malus
spp. |
Commercial, feral |
|
|
Black Locust |
tree |
Robinia pseudoacacia |
Feral, piedmont and upper south |
|
|
Black-berry |
shrub |
Rubus argutus |
Feral, esp. in piedmont |
|
|
Common Ajuga |
per. herb |
Ajuga reptans |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Crimson Clover |
ann. |
Trifolium incarnatum |
Commercial forage |
|
|
Dutch Clover |
per. |
Trifolium repens |
Commercial, feral |
|
|
Red Clover |
per. |
Trifolium pratense |
Commercial forage |
|
|
Skip Laurel |
shrub |
Prunus lauro-cerasus,
var. 'Schip-kaensis' |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Tulip Poplar |
tree |
Liriodendron tulipifera |
Feral |
|
May |
Gallberry |
shrub |
Ilex glabra |
Feral, coastal plain |
|
|
Honey-suckle |
shrub |
Lonicera fragrantis-sima |
Feral |
|
|
Privet |
shrub |
Ligustrum sinense |
Feral, esp. in piedmont |
|
|
Rhodo-dendron |
shrub/tree |
Rhododendron catawbiense |
Feral, esp. in mountains, commercial ornamental |
|
May-Jun |
Cabbage Palmetto |
per. |
Sabal palmetto |
Feral, coastal plain |
|
|
Persimmon |
shrub/tree |
Diospyros virginiana |
Feral |
|
|
Tallow Tree |
tree |
Sapium sebifrum |
Commercial ornamental |
|
Jun |
Heavenly Bamboo |
shrub |
Nandina domestica |
Commercial ornamental |
|
Jun-Jul |
Bee Balm |
per. |
Monarda didyma |
Commercial ornamental, feral |
|
|
Chaste Tree |
shrub/tree |
Vitex agnus-castus |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Sourwood |
tree |
Oxydendrum arboreum |
Feral, esp. in mountains |
|
|
Sumac |
shrub/tree |
Rhus copallina |
Feral, piedmont and upper south |
|
|
Sunflower |
ann. or per. |
Helianthus
spp. |
Commercial ornamental and oilseed |
|
Jun-Aug |
Brazilian Verbena |
ann. or per. |
Verbena bonariensis |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Butterfly Bush |
shrub |
Buddleia davidii |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Crape-myrtle |
shrub/tree |
Lagerstroemia indica,
var. 'Natchez' |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Glossy Abelia |
shrub |
Abelia grandiflora |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Mountain Mint |
per. herb |
Pycnanthemum incanum |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Purple Cone- flower |
per. herb |
Echinacea purpurea |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Summer Phlox |
per. herb |
Phlox paniculata |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Wood Mint |
per. herb |
Blephilia
spp. |
Feral |
|
Jun-Sept |
Sweet Pepper-bush |
shrub |
Clethra alnifolia |
Feral, coastal plain |
|
Jul |
Button-bush |
shrub/tree |
Cephalanthus occidentalis |
Feral |
|
Jul-Sept |
American Germander |
per. herb |
Teucrium canadense |
Feral |
|
|
Cup Rosinweed |
per. herb |
Silphium perfoliatum |
Feral |
|
|
Milkweed |
per. herb |
Asclepias
spp. |
Feral |
|
|
Partridge Pea |
ann. herb |
Cassia fasciculata |
Feral |
|
|
Redroot |
per. herb |
Lachnanthes caroliana |
Feral, wetlands |
|
Aug |
Meadow Beauty |
per. herb |
Rhexia
spp. |
Feral |
|
Aug-Sept |
Bush Clovers |
shrub |
Lespedeza bicolor
and
L. thunbergii |
Commercial ornamental and forage |
|
Aug-Oct |
Brazilian Pepper |
shrub |
Schinus terebinth-ifolius |
Feral |
|
|
Mexican Sage |
per. herb |
Salvia leucantha |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Mexican Sunflower |
ann. |
Tithonia rotundifolia |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Pineapple Sage |
ann. or per. |
Salvia elegans |
Commercial ornamental |
|
|
Thorough-wort |
per. herb |
Eupatorium hyssopifolium |
Feral |
|
Aug-Nov |
Asters |
per. herb |
Aster
spp. |
Feral |
|
|
Colorado River Hemp |
shrub |
Sesbania exaltata |
Commercial, feral |
|
Sept-Oct |
Goldenrod |
per. herb |
Solidago
spp. |
Feral |
|
|
Kenaf |
ann. |
Hibiscus cannabinus |
Commercial fiber |
|
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