community in Montana
Honey bee forage in Muddy, Montana
Estimated forage here is better than about 1% of sites in Montana. Against other Montana sites it ranks highest in spring (26th percentile) and lowest in summer (2nd). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 1.3 mi E, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Muddy?
- First forage: Apr 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, early trees (maple, willow, poplar))
- Main flow: May 1 to Sep 15, peaking early Jul (snowberry, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Muddy, 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 17.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), smooth sumac, native wildflowers, snowberry; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), sweet clovers; light amber, likely to set over some months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), snowberry, sweet clovers; amber, likely to set over some months
- Whole season (March to November): snowberry, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers; 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
- Alfalfa: about 22 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi E, blooms early Jul – late Aug (grown 3 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 Muddy
Mostly: Northwestern Great Plains Mixedgrass Prairie; Northwestern Great Plains-Black Hills Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.04 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.05 mi SE.
How Muddy ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 13th | 18th | 38th | 63rd |
| Montana | 1st | 26th | 2nd | 14th |
| Northwestern Great Plains | 2nd | 9th | 4th | 3rd |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 97% 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 Muddy: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lame Deer 8 mi · Busby 10 mi · Birney 18 mi · Colstrip 23 mi · Ashland 23 mi · Crow Agency 33 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 Muddy (45.5798, -106.7754); 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.