community in Colorado

Honey bee forage in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont, Colorado

Estimated forage here is better than about 35% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in summer (63rd percentile) and lowest in spring (18th). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), 0.11 mi SW.

When is the honey flow in Downieville-Lawson-Dumont?

  • First forage: Apr 16 (willows, dandelion)
  • Main flow: Jun 1 to Sep 15, peaking late Jun (summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, clovers: white, alsike and red)
  • Season ends: Nov 15
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Downieville-Lawson-Dumont, 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 Jun 16.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): willows, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
  • Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
  • Fall honey (September to November): fireweed, summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, snowberry; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
  • Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, huckleberries, dandelion, willows; 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

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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont

Mostly: Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest; Rocky Mountain Subalpine Dry-Mesic Spruce-Fir Forest and Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland.

Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.11 mi SW; pond, lake or river 0.11 mi S.

How Downieville-Lawson-Dumont ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US28th10th68th76th
Colorado35th18th63rd55th
Southern Rockies49th34th54th59th

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 45% 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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Empire 4 mi · St. Mary's 4 mi · Central 6 mi · Idaho Springs 6 mi · Georgetown 6 mi · Black Hawk 6 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 Downieville-Lawson-Dumont (39.7666, -105.6067); 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.