city in Iowa
Honey bee forage in Plainfield, Iowa
Estimated forage here is better than about 31% of sites in Iowa. Against other Iowa sites it stands out most in fall (86th percentile) and lowest in summer (22nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.1 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.1 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi S, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Plainfield?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Jun 16 to Aug 31, peaking late Jul (soybeans)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Plainfield, 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 9.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): soybeans, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), clovers: white, alsike and red, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), dandelion; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): soybeans, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
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 7,589 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi SW, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 1,276 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi SW, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 2 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 Plainfield
Mostly: Corn; Soybeans; North-Central Interior Floodplain Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.26 mi N; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.28 mi NW.
How Plainfield ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 88th | 61st | 90th | 57th |
| Iowa | 31st | 83rd | 22nd | 86th |
| Western Corn Belt Plains | 22nd | 91st | 14th | 79th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 36% 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 Plainfield: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Nashua 7 mi · Clarksville 8 mi · Waverly 9 mi · Shell Rock 9 mi · Frederika 12 mi · Ionia 14 mi
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 Plainfield (42.8446, -92.5357); 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.