town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Rye, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 86% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (94th percentile) and lowest in fall (35th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi SE, grown 4 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Rye?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 31, peaking late Jun (alfalfa, summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Rye, 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 6.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, alfalfa; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; 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 115 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi NE, blooms late Jun – late 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 Rye
Mostly: Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland; Rocky Mountain Gambel Oak-Mixed Montane Shrubland; Southern Rocky Mountain Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.1 mi SW.
How Rye ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 60th | 57th | 73rd | 64th |
| Colorado | 86th | 94th | 75th | 35th |
| Southern Rockies | 88th | 100th | 70th | 39th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 64% 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 Rye: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Colorado City 5 mi · Beulah Valley 11 mi · Gardner 16 mi · Walsenburg 22 mi · Pueblo West 28 mi · La Veta 29 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 Rye (37.9213, -104.9319); 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.