community in Oregon
Honey bee forage in Plush, Oregon
Estimated forage here is better than about 22% of sites in Oregon. Against other Oregon sites it stands out most in fall (59th percentile) and lowest in summer (28th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.1 mi NE, grown 3 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Plush?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, weedy mustards, native wildflowers)
- Main flow: May 1 to Sep 15, peaking early Aug (alfalfa, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Fall flow: Oct 1 to Oct 15 (green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, spotted and diffuse knapweed)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Plush, 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): native wildflowers, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, weedy mustards; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): alfalfa, spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, clovers: white, alsike and red; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): alfalfa, native wildflowers, spotted and diffuse knapweed, clovers: white, alsike and red; extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few 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 150 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.3 mi N, blooms early Jul – late Aug (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 Plush
Mostly: Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland; Open water; North American Arid West Emergent Marsh.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0 mi S; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.06 mi W.
How Plush ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 17th | 23rd | 44th | 69th |
| Oregon | 22nd | 31st | 28th | 59th |
| Northern Basin and Range | 55th | 72nd | 59th | 12th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
The national forage map around Plush: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Lakeview 27 mi · New Pine Creek 35 mi · Paisley 38 mi · Bly 58 mi · Beatty 70 mi · Silver Lake 77 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 Plush (42.405, -119.8993); 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.