community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Battlement Mesa, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 26% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it ranks highest in spring (47th percentile) and lowest in summer (32nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.4 mi N, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Battlement Mesa?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, weedy mustards)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking early Jul (alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Battlement Mesa, 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 5.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa, spring-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed, rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
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 176 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 5 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 Battlement Mesa
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Great Basin & Intermountain Ruderal Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.1 mi S; pond, lake or river 0.41 mi N.
How Battlement Mesa ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 22nd | 33rd | 50th | 69th |
| Colorado | 26th | 47th | 32nd | 43rd |
| Colorado Plateaus | 88th | 90th | 86th | 85th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 44% 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 Battlement Mesa: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Parachute 3 mi · Rifle 14 mi · De Beque 15 mi · Collbran 15 mi · Silt 20 mi · New Castle 27 mi
All towns in Colorado · 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 Battlement Mesa (39.4528, -108.0039); 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.