city in Colorado
Honey bee forage in Wray, Colorado
Estimated forage here is better than about 84% of sites in Colorado. Against other Colorado sites it stands out most in spring (98th percentile) and lowest in fall (43rd). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 1.7 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.7 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years); chickpeas (nearest 2.4 mi S, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Wray?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jul 15, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Sep 15 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Wray, 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 28.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), garden flowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); 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
- Corn: about 525 acres in a typical year, nearest 2 mi S, blooms late Jun – late Jul (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 6 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.7 mi N, blooms early 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 Wray
Mostly: Western Great Plains Sandhill Steppe; Western Great Plains Shortgrass Prairie; Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.07 mi S; open water 0.15 mi NW.
How Wray ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 57th | 68th | 61st | 69th |
| Colorado | 84th | 98th | 50th | 43rd |
| High Plains | 79th | 91st | 42nd | 63rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 65% 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 Wray: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Laird 7 mi · Vernon 11 mi · Eckley 14 mi · Yuma 26 mi · Idalia 26 mi · Holyoke 35 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 Wray (40.0799, -102.2286); 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.