town in Colorado
Honey bee forage in South Fork, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 65% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in summer (68th percentile) and lowest in spring (45th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in South Fork?
- First forage: Apr 16 (dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Main flow: May 16 to Aug 15, peaking early Jun (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering shrubs)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 30 (spotted and diffuse knapweed, summer-flowering shrubs, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of South Fork, 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): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spring-flowering shrubs, native wildflowers; light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, spotted and diffuse knapweed; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, spotted and diffuse knapweed, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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 0.6 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 South Fork
Mostly: Southern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Dry-Mesic Montane Mixed Conifer Forest and Woodland; Southern Rocky Mountain Pinyon-Juniper Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.11 mi SE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.12 mi SE.
How South Fork ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 43rd | 31st | 71st | 78th |
| Colorado | 65th | 45th | 68th | 59th |
| Southern Rockies | 69th | 79th | 61st | 63rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 63% 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 South Fork: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Alpine 3 mi · Gerrard 4 mi · Del Norte 16 mi · City of Creede 20 mi · Monte Vista 28 mi · Center 30 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 South Fork (37.6692, -106.6429); 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.