Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)

A.k.a. sundial lupine. A distinctive and showy nitrogen fixer! Wild lupine deserves its reputation for beauty and acclaim as a host for the rare karner blue butterfly, but has definite soil requirements. It does not tolerate clay, and must have a significant amount of sand in its soil.

Light: Full Sun, Part Sun/Shade

Soil Moisture: Dry Mesic, Dry

Soil Type: Sand, Sand Loam

Height: 2′

Bloom Color: Blue

Bloom Time: May-Jul

Root Type: Taproot

Notable Wildlife Interactions: Flowers attract long tongued bees. Hosts the karner blue and frosted elfin butterflies, the wild indigo and Perseus duskywing skippers, moths such as the bella moth and phyllira tiger moth, and some smaller insects. Foliage is poisonous to sheep and horses, but occasionally browsed by native herbivores such as deer, rabbits, and groundhogs.