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Honey bee forage in Canyon City, Oregon
Estimated forage here is better than about 43% of sites in Oregon. Against other Oregon sites it stands out most in fall (64th percentile) and lowest in summer (46th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.3 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Canyon City?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31, peaking late May (clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry, dandelion)
- Fall flow: Sep 16 to Sep 30 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Canyon City, 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 14.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers, snowberry; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry, spotted and diffuse knapweed; 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
- Alfalfa: about 100 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi NE, 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 Canyon City
Mostly: Columbia Plateau Western Juniper Woodland and Savanna; Northern Rocky Mountain Ponderosa Pine Woodland and Savanna; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.02 mi E; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.62 mi N.
How Canyon City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 41st | 47th | 60th | 72nd |
| Oregon | 43rd | 61st | 46th | 64th |
| Blue Mountains | 35th | 79th | 29th | 59th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 31% 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 Canyon City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
John Day 2 mi · Mount Vernon 8 mi · Prairie City 13 mi · Seneca 18 mi · Long Creek 23 mi · Dayville 29 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 Canyon City (44.393, -118.9495); 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.