village in Michigan
Honey bee forage in Leonard, Michigan
Estimated forage here is better than about 51% of sites in Michigan. Against other Michigan sites it stands out most in spring (83rd percentile) and lowest in summer (42nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.2 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.2 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 0.6 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Leonard?
- First forage: Mar 1 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking early May (clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Fall flow: Aug 1 to Aug 31 (clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Leonard, 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 11.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), soybeans, summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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
- Corn: about 15 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 5 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.2 mi E, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 1 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 Leonard
Mostly: North-Central Interior Dry-Mesic Oak Forest and Woodland; Eastern Cool Temperate Pasture and Hayland; North-Central Interior Beech-Maple Forest.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.12 mi NE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.23 mi SW.
How Leonard ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 71st | 77th | 70th | 67th |
| Michigan | 51st | 83rd | 42nd | 74th |
| Southern Michigan/Northern Indiana Drift Plains | 10th | 89th | 7th | 70th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 76% 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 Leonard: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Dryden 6 mi · Almont 6 mi · Oxford 6 mi · Lake Orion 8 mi · Romeo 8 mi · Metamora 9 mi
All towns in Michigan · 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 Leonard (42.8652, -83.1429); 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.