community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Heart Butte, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 93% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in fall (94th percentile) and lowest in spring (82nd). Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer), less than 0.1 mi away.
When is the honey flow in Heart Butte?
- First forage: Apr 1 (dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), willows)
- Main flow: May 16 to Sep 15, peaking late Jul (snowberry, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Nov 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Heart Butte, 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 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, snowberry, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); light amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard); 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
No rated bee crops within about 3.7 miles of the town center. The forage here is wild plants, trees and gardens.
The land and water around Heart Butte
Mostly: Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane-Foothill-Valley Grassland; Northern Rocky Mountain Montane-Foothill Deciduous Shrubland; Rocky Mountain Foothill Limber Pine-Juniper Woodland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0 mi S.
How Heart Butte ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 74th | 34th | 83rd | 98th |
| Montana | 93rd | 82nd | 89th | 94th |
| Northwestern Glaciated Plains | 63rd | 74th | 60th | 91st |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 41% 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 Heart Butte: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Kingsbury Colony 16 mi · Birch Creek Colony 17 mi · Dupuyer 18 mi · Pondera Colony 19 mi · South Browning 19 mi · Blackfoot 20 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 Heart Butte (48.2896, -112.8338); 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.