Lupin pollen

Lupinus polyphyllus

Muted slate blue-grey, in the blue / purple range.

FloweringJune to July

PollenFair

NectarNone

SeasonSummer

WhereGarden, Waste and verge

More a bumblebee flower, though our bees will glean a little pollen from the spikes.

Lupin (Lupinus polyphyllus) in flower — Photo: JLPC, CC BY-SA 3.0. 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.

Viper’s buglossJune to August Oriental poppyMay to July Field poppyJune to July Rosebay willowherbJuly to August TeaselJuly to August

Out at about the same time

BorageBlue grey BrambleGreenish grey Californian poppyBright orange Common limeYellow to greenish DogwoodPale creamy yellow ElderPale greyish yellow

Saw a load like this going in?

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

Pollen identifier