community in Washington
Honey bee forage in Packwood, Washington
Estimated forage here is better than about 80% of sites in Washington. Against other Washington sites it stands out most in spring (81st percentile) and lowest in fall (40th). Biggest nearby bee crops: alfalfa (nearest 2.2 mi N, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Packwood?
- First forage: Mar 1 (dandelion, maples, willows)
- Main flow: Apr 1 to Jun 30, peaking early May (summer-flowering shrubs, maples, clovers: white, alsike and red)
- Season ends: Sep 30
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Packwood, 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 2.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): summer-flowering shrubs, maples, dandelion, clovers: white, alsike and red; light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): summer-flowering shrubs, himalayan blackberry, clovers: white, alsike and red, snowberry; light amber, likely to stay liquid a long time
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, garden flowers, fall wildflowers (goldenrod, aster); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): summer-flowering shrubs, clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, maples; 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 1 acres in a typical year, nearest 2.2 mi N, blooms early Jun – early Oct (grown 1 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 Packwood
Mostly: North Pacific Maritime Dry-Mesic Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest; North Pacific Dry-Mesic Silver Fir-Western Hemlock-Douglas-fir Forest; North Pacific Maritime Mesic-Wet Douglas-fir-Western Hemlock Forest.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.16 mi E; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.2 mi E.
How Packwood ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 94th | 98th | 79th | 46th |
| Washington | 80th | 81st | 49th | 40th |
| Cascades | 75th | 78th | 52nd | 75th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 65% 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 Packwood: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Ashford 19 mi · Mineral 26 mi · Elbe 27 mi · Morton 29 mi · Alder 30 mi · La Grande 32 mi
All towns in Washington · 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 Packwood (46.6085, -121.6703); 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.