community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Phippsburg, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 97% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in summer (98th percentile) and lowest in spring (54th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.4 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Phippsburg?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Jun (summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Phippsburg, 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 3.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry, spring-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; 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 4 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.4 mi NE, blooms late Jul – late Sep (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 Phippsburg
Mostly: Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland; Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland; Inter-Mountain Basins Montane Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi S.
How Phippsburg ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 76th | 37th | 85th | 95th |
| Colorado | 97th | 54th | 98th | 92nd |
| Southern Rockies | 99th | 89th | 99th | 89th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 54% 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 Phippsburg: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Oak Creek 3 mi · Yampa 6 mi · Steamboat Springs 18 mi · Hayden 24 mi · McCoy 25 mi · Kremmling 33 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 Phippsburg (40.2303, -106.9506); 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.