Native Perennial
Sun Exposure: Sun, Part Shade
Soil Moisture: Dry, moist
Soil type: Dry, sandy soil, good drainage
Height: 1'-3'
Bloom Time: April-July
Bloom Color: blue, purple
Attracts: Butterflies, Hummingbirds, Bees; Deer browse foliage. Birds and small mammals eat the seeds.
Pollinator Benefit: Larval Host for the Karner Blue and Frosted Elfin butterflies; valuable to native bees and bumblebees - The Karner Blue butterfly is endangered
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Wild Blue Lupine (Lupinus perennis) has showy, elongate clusters of purple, pea-like flowers top the 1-2 ft. stems of this perennial lupine. Blue, pea-like flowers are in an upright, elongated, terminal cluster on an erect stem with palmately compound leaves. Its leaves are palmately divided into 7-11 leaflets. Occasionally flowers range from pink to white.
The plant was once thought to deplete or "wolf" the mineral content of the soil; hence the genus name derived from the Latin lupus ("wolf"). Actually the plant and all the family enhances soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen into a useful form.
information from www.wildflower.org