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The jar's origin sticker: Hardy County, West Virginia, basswood.

Honey, where have you been?

Oak Tree & Bramble Farms

Hardy County, West Virginia · 2026 season

Hardy County

Here.

Hardy County, West Virginia: the bees' home this season

Tucked away in the rolling hills of Old Fields, West Virginia, Oak Tree Farms is rooted in resilience and respect for the land. In 2022, the farm made history by installing the largest rooftop solar facility in the state. The solar facility provides nearly 100% of the farm’s electricity needs, and Oak Tree Farms shines as a model of how tradition and innovation can thrive together.

But that’s only the beginning of the story. As part of its ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, the farm partnered with Davis Hill Development and Hivetracks to bring in honeybees—not only as pollinators but also as biosensors of biodiversity. The bees’ foraging patterns provide data about the land’s health, capturing the richness of the surrounding ecosystem in every drop of honey. And just a few miles South is its sister project, Bramble Farms, which brings in additional clean energy generation and honey production!

One season, visit by visit.

Every time someone walked the land, they wrote down what was blooming.

Bees on this land since May 2025.

  1. May2

    Visited

    Spring split: the queen who made it through winter starts a new hive with five frames of brood and two of honey.

  2. May15

    Visited

    New hives with young queens settle in.

    • Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis
    • raspberry Rubus idaeus
    • bulbous buttercup Ranunculus bulbosus
  3. Jul2

    Visited

    The young queens didn't come back from their mating flights. One hive has so much honey it gets a second box.

    • Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis
    • chicory Cichorium intybus
    • eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
  4. Jul3

    Visited

    Frames of honey and pollen shared, to give a hive a boost.

  5. Jul13

    Visited

    A small nuc with a new queen comes in to save the queenless hive.

    • red clover Trifolium pratense
    • eastern daisy fleabane Erigeron annuus
    • oxeye daisy Leucanthemum vulgare
  6. Aug29

    Visited

    One hive is booming; the other gets syrup to build up for fall.

    • raspberry Rubus idaeus
    • field thistle Cirsium discolor
    • wild carrot Daucus carota
  7. Sep8

    Visited

    • sand blackberry Rubus cuneifolius
    • red clover Trifolium pratense
    • Canada goldenrod Solidago canadensis
  8. collected

    Honey harvested

    [PLACEHOLDER: 2026 harvest date not in the beekeepers' records yet]

    About 100 lb: 5 gallons from each farm

7 visits211 plants recorded30 of them bee flowers110 kinds of insects, birds and other animals

[VERIFY: species to be checked by a botanist]

basswood

What the bees were working.

Main forage: Basswood

The Moorefield apiaries lie amid forested hills and active farmlands, where basswood and other native trees form the dominant nectar canopy. Flowering understory plants and thistles thrive along fencerows and drainage areas. This mosaic of woodland and agricultural edge habitat provides diverse, high-quality nectar and pollen throughout early to mid-summer

When we saw them in bloom
MayJunJulAugSep
chicoryCichorium intybus
eastern daisy fleabaneErigeron annuus
Canada goldenrodSolidago canadensis
spiny plumeless thistleCarduus acanthoides
red cloverTrifolium pratense
sand blackberryRubus cuneifolius
A jar of basswood honey.

Basswood honey.

This honey reflects the character of Appalachia’s basswood forests—light amber in color with a clean, herbal brightness and a subtle minty finish. Notes of sweet hay, thistle, and green tea create a layered, refreshing flavor that lingers smoothly. It crystallizes fine and fast, prized by connoisseurs for its clarity and aromatic depth.

Tasting notes

  • basswood
  • minty
  • herbal
  • light amber
  • green tea
  • sweet hay
  • floral
  • refreshing

Harvested[PLACEHOLDER: 2026 harvest date not in the beekeepers' records yet]About 100 lb: 5 gallons from each farm

Snapshots from the season.

What the beekeepers saw out there, between the records.

A taste of place.

Hardy County, West Virginia. This season.

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The other places

Field notes kept by our beekeepers and ecologists, recorded with HiveTracks.

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