Californian poppy pollen

Eschscholzia californica

Bright orange, in the orange range.

FloweringJune to September

PollenGood

NectarNone

SeasonSummer, Autumn

WhereGarden, Waste and verge

Pollen only from this one, the bees packing bright orange loads through a sunny morning.

Californian poppy (Eschscholzia californica) in flower — Photo: Sabina Bajracharya, CC BY-SA 4.0. Wikimedia Commons

Easy to mistake for these

Closest pollen colours in our set, measured the same way the pollen identifier scores a match. Colour alone will not settle it, so check the flowering months and what is actually growing near your hives.

SnowdropJanuary to March Michaelmas daisySeptember to October PearApril to May LaburnumMay to June DandelionMarch to October, peak April to May

Confused with in the field

Noted by name in our own records, rather than worked out from the colour.

Field poppyVery dark grey, nearly black

Out at about the same time

BorageBlue grey BrambleGreenish grey Common limeYellow to greenish DogwoodPale creamy yellow ElderPale greyish yellow Evening primroseBright lemon yellow

Saw a load like this going in?

Sample the colour against all 89 plants, then keep a forage record per hive.

Pollen identifier