Viper’s bugloss pollen

Echium vulgare

Blue grey, in the blue / purple range.

FloweringJune to August

PollenVery good

NectarYes

SeasonSummer

WhereWaste and verge

One of the best nectar plants on chalky and sandy ground.

Viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) in flower — Photo: Kasjanek24, 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.

LupinJune to July Rosebay willowherbJuly to August TeaselJuly to August Oriental poppyMay to July BorageJune to September

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