town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Ovid, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 94% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (97th percentile) and lowest in fall (16th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.1 mi N); alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi NE, grown 2 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Ovid?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Jul 1 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Ovid, 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 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar), alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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
- Corn: about 4,612 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi N, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 92 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.1 mi NW, blooms early Jun – late Aug (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 33 acres in a typical year, nearest 1 mi N, blooms late Jun – late Aug (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 Ovid
Mostly: Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Corn; Western Great Plains Sandhill Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.18 mi SW; open water 0.19 mi SW.
How Ovid ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 72nd | 62nd | 80th | 50th |
| Colorado | 94th | 97th | 90th | 16th |
| High Plains | 91st | 86th | 86th | 39th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 37% 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 Ovid: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Julesburg 7 mi · Sedgwick 7 mi · Amherst 22 mi · Crook 23 mi · Paoli 24 mi · Haxtun 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 Ovid (40.9608, -102.3883); 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.