No it's just the pollen that comes from the tree..needles don't turn yellow at least I don't recall. The dead needles do turn golden brown and I use to hate raking because it was a lot of needles. Instead of snowball fights where I grew up, we'd take pinecones and throw them at each other. Those little green ones would leave a markAnother funny thing, is my childhood dog, a lab, would lick that pine sap until his tongue was raw....never figured out why, but that was some sticky stuff.