town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Parachute, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 79% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (97th percentile) and lowest in summer (46th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); corn (nearest 1.6 mi NW, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Parachute?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 15, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Sep 15 (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Parachute, 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 Apr 30.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): garden flowers, green/yellow rabbitbrush, clovers: white, alsike and red, rubber rabbitbrush; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra 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 13 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.1 mi SE, blooms late Jun – early Aug (grown 3 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 Parachute
Mostly: Colorado Plateau Pinyon-Juniper Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Inter-Mountain Basins Mixed Salt Desert Scrub.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.03 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.04 mi SE.
How Parachute ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 53rd | 64th | 59th | 72nd |
| Colorado | 79th | 97th | 46th | 47th |
| Colorado Plateaus | 96th | 99th | 89th | 88th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 36% 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 Parachute: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Battlement Mesa 3 mi · De Beque 12 mi · Collbran 15 mi · Rifle 16 mi · Silt 23 mi · Palisade 28 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 Parachute (39.4466, -108.0549); 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.