village in Wisconsin
Honey bee forage in Butternut, Wisconsin
Estimated forage here is better than about 34% of sites in Wisconsin. Against other Wisconsin sites it stands out most in spring (73rd percentile) and lowest in summer (36th). Biggest nearby bee crops: corn (nearest 0.5 mi E); alfalfa (nearest 0.8 mi NW, grown 1 of the last 5 years); soybeans (nearest 0.5 mi E, grown 1 of the last 5 years).
When is the honey flow in Butternut?
- First forage: Mar 16 (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), dandelion)
- Main flow: Apr 16 to Jul 15, peaking late May (early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion)
- Season ends: Oct 15
Forage available to a colony through the year at the center of Butternut, 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 24.
What the honey is made of
- Spring honey (March to June): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Summer honey (July and August): clovers: white, alsike and red, summer-flowering shrubs, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden), dandelion; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Fall honey (September to November): clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, roadside weeds (clover, dandelion, sweet clover, mustard), summer-flowering shrubs; extra light amber, mixed: part of it sets quickly, part stays liquid
- Whole season (March to November): early trees (maple, willow, poplar), clovers: white, alsike and red, dandelion, summer-flowering trees (locust, linden); 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
- Corn: about 36 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, blooms late Jul – late Aug (grown 5 of the last 5 years)
- Alfalfa: about 53 acres in a typical year, nearest 1.4 mi S, blooms early Jul – late Sep (grown 2 of the last 5 years)
- Soybeans: about 3 acres in a typical year, nearest 0.5 mi E, blooms early Jul – early Sep (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 Butternut
Mostly: Laurentian-Acadian Northern Hardwoods Forest; Laurentian-Acadian Alkaline Conifer-Hardwood Swamp; Boreal-Laurentian Conifer Acidic Swamp and Treed Poor Fen.
Nearest mapped water: creek, wetland or wet meadow 0.21 mi W; mapped stream or canal (may be dry in late summer) 0.28 mi SE.
How Butternut ranks
| Against random land in | Overall | Spring | Summer | Fall |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Continental US | 65th | 67th | 72nd | 65th |
| Wisconsin | 34th | 73rd | 36th | 56th |
| Northern Lakes and Forests | 67th | 48th | 79th | 88th |
Percentiles among 3,000 random land points in each region, scored the same way: land in general, not beekeepers' apiaries.
About 81% 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 Butternut: darker is more forage. Tap anywhere to check that exact spot.
Nearby
Park Falls 6 mi · Glidden 9 mi · Clam Lake 22 mi · Phillips 23 mi · Mellen 23 mi · Mercer 24 mi
All towns in Wisconsin · 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 Butternut (46.0133, -90.4974); 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.