Alpine squill
A small blue-violet bulb flowering in woods and meadows as soon as the snow melts; it feeds bees with pollen and nectar on the first flights.
- Nectar
- Medium
- Pollen
- Medium
- Flowering
- JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
- Height
- 0,05-0,2 m
- Life cycle
- Perennial
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Alpine squill grows in deciduous woods, scrub and mountain meadows from central and southern Europe to Anatolia and the Caucasus. Star-shaped, blue-violet flowers open on a stem rising between the two leaves produced by each bulb. The nectar is scant but accessible, and the pollen is valuable for early brood.
Flowering
Depending on altitude it flowers between February and April, as soon as the snow retreats. Bees visit heavily in the sunny midday hours once the temperature exceeds 10 °C.
Honey and pollen
It makes no contribution to honey production; its value is the pollen and nectar at the start of brood rearing. Some sources report bluish pollen, but no definite colour record was found.
Note for the beekeeper
Bulbs planted in gardens and under fruit trees spread by themselves over the years. Bulbs should not be dug from the wild; use nursery-grown material.