city in Minnesota
Honey bee forage in Riverton, Minnesota
Estimated forage here is better than about 22% of sites in Minnesota. Against other Minnesota sites it stands out most in spring (85th percentile) and lowest in summer (18th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 1.4 mi SE, grown 3 of the last 5 years); sunflower (nearest 1.4 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years); alfalfa (nearest 1.5 mi SE, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Riverton?
- First forage: Mar 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking late May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden))
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Riverton, 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 21.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); extra light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs; 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 41 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi SE, blooms late Jul – late Aug (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Sunflower: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi SE, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 11 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.6 mi SE, blooms early Jul – early Sep (grown 3 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 2 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.5 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (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 Riverton
Mostly: Laurentian-Acadian Northern Hardwoods Forest; Open water; Laurentian-Acadian Alkaline Conifer-Hardwood Swamp.
Nearest mapped water: open water 0.13 mi SE; pond, lake or river 0.14 mi S.
How Riverton ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 56th | 69th | 63rd | 50th |
| Minnesota | 22nd | 85th | 18th | 28th |
| Northern Lakes and Forests | 45th | 58th | 40th | 71st |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 77% 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 Riverton: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Ironton 3 mi · Trommald 4 mi · Crosby 6 mi · Merrifield 6 mi · Cuyuna 7 mi · Deerwood 7 mi
All towns in Minnesota · 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 Riverton (46.457, -94.0545); 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.