Virginia spring beauty

Virginia spring beauty offers early-season nectar and pollen crucial for emerging honeybee foragers in its range, with peak bloom typically in April. As a spring ephemeral, it completes its above-ground growth quickly after flowering and goes dormant by summer, requiring shaded woodland conditions to thrive. It attracts a variety of bees but is particularly important for specialist mining bees, though honeybees visit regularly without it becoming a significant surplus source.