city in California
Honey bee forage in Portola, California
Estimated forage here is better than about 63% of sites in California. Against other California sites it stands out most in summer (98th percentile) and lowest in spring (42nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.9 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Portola?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, kinnikinnick, maples)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking late May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 15 (snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Portola, 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 May 20.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, kinnikinnick, ceanothus: redstem; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, ceanothus: redstem; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Alfalfa: about 15 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.9 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
From USDA's crop maps for 2021–2025; fields rotate, so a crop counts by how often it was grown. Listing a field says nothing about its owner.
The land and water around Portola
Mostly: Mediterranean California Dry-Mesic Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland; Mediterranean California Mesic Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland; California Montane Woodland and Chaparral.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.24 mi SW; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.28 mi W.
How Portola ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 65th | 61st | 75th | 67th |
| California | 63rd | 42nd | 98th | 95th |
| Sierra Nevada | 86th | 57th | 95th | 97th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 69% 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 Portola: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Delleker 1 mi · Lake Davis 2 mi · Iron Horse 3 mi · Beckwourth 4 mi · Gold Mountain 5 mi · Mabie 5 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 Portola (39.8208, -120.4743); 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.