community in Texas
Honey bee forage in Samnorwood, Texas
Estimated forage here is better than about 57% of sites in Texas. Against other Texas sites it stands out most in summer (88th percentile) and lowest in spring (44th). Biggest nearby bee crops: cotton (nearest 0.5 mi W, grown 4 of the last 5 years); sorghum (nearest 1.6 mi W, grown 2 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Samnorwood?
- First forage: Feb 1 (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers)
- Main flow: Feb 16 to Jun 15, peaking early Apr (roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard))
- Fall flow: Jul 1 to Aug 31 (cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster))
- Season ends: Oct 31
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Samnorwood, 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 26.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), native wildflowers, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); extra light amber, likely to set over some months
- Summer honey (July and August): cotton, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); extra light amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Fall honey (September to November): fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster), cotton; amber, likely to set within weeks to a few months
- Whole season (March to November): roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), cotton, 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
- Cotton: about 1,283 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.9 mi S, 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 Samnorwood
Mostly: Central Mixedgrass Prairie Grassland; Great Plains Comanchian Ruderal Grassland; Western Great Plains Mesquite Shrubland.
Nearest mapped water: mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.14 mi W; pond, lake or river 0.16 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 Samnorwood ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 54th | 70th | 48th | 61st |
| Texas | 57th | 44th | 88th | 76th |
| Southwestern Tablelands | 94th | 87th | 81st | 26th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 79% 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 Samnorwood: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Quail 11 mi · Shamrock 12 mi · Wellington 14 mi · McLean 22 mi · Dodson 25 mi · Hedley 25 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 Samnorwood (35.0501, -100.2814); 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.