town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Blanca, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 95% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in fall (98th percentile) and lowest in spring (84th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.5 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); peas (nearest 1.3 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 1.4 mi SW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Blanca?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, weedy mustards, willows)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Sep 15, peaking late May (alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (yellow starthistle, green/yellow rabbitbrush, dandelion)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Blanca, 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 22.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, weedy mustards, willows; 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, yellow starthistle; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, yellow starthistle; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, 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 290 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 1 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 Blanca
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Semi-Desert Shrub-Steppe; Great Basin & Intermountain Introduced Annual and Biennial Forbland; Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon-Juniper Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.28 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.33 mi SW.
How Blanca ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 73rd | 49th | 77th | 99th |
| Colorado | 95th | 84th | 85th | 98th |
| Arizona/New Mexico Plateau | 98th | 93rd | 98th | 99th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Blanca: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Fort Garland 4 mi · San Acacio 16 mi · San Luis 17 mi · Alamosa East 18 mi · Alamosa 20 mi · Sanford 25 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 Blanca (37.4393, -105.5135); 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.