Ribwort plantain pollen

Plantago lanceolata

Pale dull cream, faintly grey, in the cream / white range.

FloweringApril to October

PollenFair

NectarNone

SeasonSpring, Summer, Autumn

WhereWaste and verge, Farmland, Garden

It yields no nectar, so the bees take its dull pale pollen only as a makeweight.

Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata) in flower — Photo: Krzysztof Ziarnek, Kenraiz, 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.

Ling heatherJuly to September Flowering currantApril to May SnowberryJune to September CotoneasterMay to June RaspberryJune to July

Out at about the same time

ApplePale creamy yellow AshDull olive green BerberisDull olive green BluebellCreamy white CharlockLemon yellow Cherry laurelDull greenish yellow

Saw a load like this going in?

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

Pollen identifier