community in California
Honey bee forage in Kennedy Meadows, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 43% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in summer (66th percentile) and lowest in fall (25th). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.19 mi NW.
When is the honey flow in Kennedy Meadows?
- First forage: Mar 16 (spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jun 15, peaking early May (spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Aug 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Kennedy Meadows, from what grows within flight range (about 3.7 miles) and when it blooms here. Dates are the model's estimate for a typical year; the spring index for this spot falls on Apr 25.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, asters; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): asters, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Kennedy Meadows
Mostly: Northern and Central California Dry-Mesic Chaparral; Great Basin Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Sierra Nevada Cliff and Canyon.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.19 mi NW; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.31 mi S.
How Kennedy Meadows ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 42nd | 74th | 39th | 9th |
| California | 43rd | 49th | 66th | 25th |
| Sierra Nevada | 56th | 67th | 39th | 20th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 95% of the land here is scored with national averages for its vegetation type rather than measured plant cover, so the wild-plant part of this estimate is rougher than the crop part.
The national forage map around Kennedy Meadows: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Pearsonville 18 mi · Olancha 19 mi · Cartago 21 mi · Onyx 24 mi · Ponderosa 25 mi · Kernville 25 mi
All towns in California · National map · How the scoring works
An estimate from public maps (USDA crop maps 2021–2025 averaged, LANDFIRE vegetation), not a survey of the ground. Maps can't see garden plantings, understory density, other beekeepers' hives, or this year's weather. The point is the Census Bureau's published center of Kennedy Meadows (36.0076, -118.1099); a yard a mile or two away can differ, so check your own spot. The FEMA flood map was not checked for this page. Benchmark 2026.5, built 2026-10-19. How this works · All sources.