community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Monarch, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 73% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it stands out most in spring (90th percentile) and lowest in fall (15th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.7 mi N, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Monarch?
- First forage: Mar 16 (willows)
- Main flow: May 1 to Aug 15, peaking late Jul (snowberry, willows, native wildflowers)
- Fall flow: Sep 1 to Sep 15 (snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Monarch, 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 1.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): willows, native wildflowers, serviceberry, huckleberries; dark amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, native wildflowers, mallow ninebark, huckleberries; light amber
- Fall honey (September to November): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, fireweed, native wildflowers; light amber
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, willows, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed; dark amber
Nectar-source estimate (plants weighted by how much bees favor them), not a pollen analysis. Full honey estimate.
Bee crops within flight range
- Alfalfa: about 436 acres in a typical year, nearest 3.1 mi N, blooms late Jul – early Sep (grown 5 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 Monarch
Mostly: Middle Rocky Mountain Montane Douglas-fir Forest and Woodland; Rocky Mountain Lodgepole Pine Forest; Northern Rocky Mountain Lower Montane-Foothill-Valley Grassland.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.18 mi NE; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.2 mi N.
How Monarch ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 52nd | 40th | 76th | 65th |
| Montana | 73rd | 90th | 71st | 15th |
| Middle Rockies | 86th | 95th | 86th | 10th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 56% 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 Monarch: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Riceville 9 mi · Neihart 13 mi · Raynesford 13 mi · Pleasant Valley Colony 19 mi · Geyser 20 mi · Belt 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 Monarch (47.1003, -110.8448); 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.