community in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Portland, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 64% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in summer (67th percentile) and lowest in fall (32nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.4 mi W, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Portland?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows, dandelion, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 15, peaking early Jul (summer-flowering shrubs, snowberry, spring-flowering shrubs)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Portland, 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 26.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): spring-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, summer-flowering shrubs, spring-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
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 W, blooms early Jul – early 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 Portland
Mostly: Rocky Mountain Subalpine Dry-Mesic Spruce-Fir Forest and Woodland; Rocky Mountain Aspen Forest and Woodland; Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.22 mi SE; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.33 mi SW.
How Portland ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 43rd | 38th | 70th | 63rd |
| Colorado | 64th | 56th | 67th | 32nd |
| Southern Rockies | 68th | 90th | 60th | 36th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 75% 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 Portland: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Ouray 4 mi · Ridgway 6 mi · Loghill Village 9 mi · Telluride 12 mi · Mountain Village 14 mi · Colona 17 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 Portland (38.0892, -107.6952); 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.