Traveller’s joy pollen

Clematis vitalba

Dull olive, a greenish yellow, in the green range.

FloweringJuly to September

PollenGood

NectarNone

SeasonSummer, Autumn

WhereHedgerow, Woodland

No nectar to speak of, but the hedgerow flowers give a handy pollen in a lean late-summer spell.

Traveller’s joy (Clematis vitalba) in flower — Photo: BerndH, 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.

OakApril to May BerberisApril to May AshApril to May AlderFebruary to March Purple loosestrifeJune to September

Confused with in the field

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

MeadowsweetGreenish cream

Out at about the same time

Bell heatherPale dull lilac grey Creeping thistlePale creamy yellow Field scabiousDark brick orange-red Globe thistleWhitish, pale cream Himalayan balsamGhostly white Ling heatherWhitish cream

Saw a load like this going in?

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

Pollen identifier