Lovely Lupine is in Bloom!
Clip | 2m 1sVideo has Closed Captions
Have you ever seen charred plants in a prairie?
Have you ever seen charred plants in a prairie? The pea-like blossoms of Wild Lupine put on a show in sandy prairies in spring.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
Lovely Lupine is in Bloom!
Clip | 2m 1sVideo has Closed Captions
Have you ever seen charred plants in a prairie? The pea-like blossoms of Wild Lupine put on a show in sandy prairies in spring.
Problems playing video? | Closed Captioning Feedback
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Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipI often think of prairies as being their most spectacular in late summer, but spring can be special too.
Right now I'm at Boot Lake Nature Preserve in Elkhart, Indiana, and the wild lupine is blooming in May, while lupine thrives in sandy soil conditions at like sunny areas.
And it often does very well after a prairie has been burned.
That's a management strategy to help reduce the amount of invasives in a prairie and also eliminate woody tree and shrub species that would out-compete the prairie plants, while lupine has beautiful lavender and whitish blossoms.
It's in the bean family and the round circular pattern of leaves is also really attractive.
There are some caterpillar larva that feed on wild lupine.
Some of our elfin butterflies and loopers and the endangered karner blue butterfly birds eat the seeds, and that's one way that lupine can spread by seeds being carried by birds to other areas.
But the plant has a unique strategy to inject its seeds farther away from the plant when the seeds are mature.
It also spreads by underground rhizomes.
So if you're lucky and you can find a sandy soil prairie in springtime, see if you can find the wonderful wild lupine remember, you can find your own outdoor elements when you visit area parks and natural areas.
We'll see you soon
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