city in Oregon
Honey bee forage in Prairie City, Oregon
Estimated forage here is better than about 58% of sites in Oregon. Against other Oregon sites it stands out most in fall (91st percentile) and lowest in summer (58th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 0.7 mi E, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Prairie City?
- First forage: Mar 16 (dandelion, willows)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Aug 31, peaking late May (spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Prairie 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 16.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, willows, native wildflowers; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): spotted and diffuse knapweed, native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red, alfalfa; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, green/yellow rabbitbrush, rubber rabbitbrush, dandelion; amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): spotted and diffuse knapweed, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red, native wildflowers; 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 17 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 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 Prairie City
Mostly: Columbia Plateau Steppe and Grassland; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Steppe; Inter-Mountain Basins Big Sagebrush Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.11 mi S; creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.11 mi SE.
How Prairie City ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 61st | 59th | 68th | 88th |
| Oregon | 58th | 67th | 58th | 91st |
| Blue Mountains | 55th | 96th | 36th | 90th |
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 Prairie City: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
John Day 13 mi · Canyon City 13 mi · Greenhorn 20 mi · Mount Vernon 20 mi · Unity 26 mi · Seneca 26 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 Prairie City (44.4611, -118.7094); 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.