community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Franktown, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 79% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (93rd percentile) and lowest in fall (54th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.8 mi W, grown 4 of the last 5 years); millet (nearest 2.6 mi NW, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Franktown?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 15, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 30 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Franktown, 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 9.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; 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 18 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.8 mi W, blooms late Jun – early Sep (grown 4 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 Franktown
Mostly: Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Western Great Plains Foothill and Piedmont Grassland; Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi N; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.05 mi NW.
How Franktown ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 53rd | 56th | 65th | 75th |
| Colorado | 79th | 93rd | 57th | 54th |
| Southwestern Tablelands | 93rd | 62nd | 95th | 48th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 73% 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 Franktown: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
The Pinery 4 mi · Ponderosa Park 6 mi · Castle Rock 6 mi · Elizabeth 7 mi · Parker 8 mi · Castle Pines 8 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 Franktown (39.39, -104.7424); 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.