city in Texas

Honey bee forage in Jolly, Texas

Estimated forage here is better than about 49% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in fall (73rd percentile) and lowest in spring (56th). Biggest nearby bee crops: sorghum (nearest 2.2 mi W, grown 1 of the last 5 years); cotton (nearest 2.2 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years).

When is the honey flow in Jolly?

  • First forage: Jan 16 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), dandelion)
  • Main flow: Feb 16 to May 31, peaking late Mar (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden))
  • Fall flow: Jun 16 to Jul 15 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
  • Season ends: Oct 31
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec

Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Jolly, 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 Mar 18.

What the honey is made of

  • Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), native wildflowers, clovers: white, alsike and red; white, likely to set over some months
  • Summer honey (July and August): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, likely to set over some months
  • Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); amber
  • Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), native wildflowers; extra 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

  • Sorghum: about 37 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi W, blooms late May – late Jun (grown 1 of the last 5 years)
  • Cotton: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi W, blooms late Jun – late Aug (grown 2 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 Jolly

Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland.

Nearest mapped water: open water 0.1 mi W; pond, lake or river 0.11 mi W.

Things to watch

  • Bee crops nearby that are often sprayed. Cotton: insecticides used on about 39% of surveyed US acres (2025). Figures are from USDA's Agricultural Chemical Use Survey, matched by crop type from the crop map. The survey counts any insecticide use in the crop year (not seed treatments) and doesn't say when; ask nearby growers about spray timing.

How Jolly ranks

Against random land inOverallSpringSummerFall
Continental US50th76th29th59th
Texas49th56th67th73rd
Central Great Plains48th88th11th62nd

Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.

About 89% 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 Jolly: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.

Nearby

Dean 4 mi · Henrietta 10 mi · Wichita Falls 10 mi · Lakeside City 11 mi · Petrolia 12 mi · Cashion Community 14 mi

All towns in Texas · National map · How the scoring works

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 Jolly (33.8753, -98.3492); 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.