A
wildflower known as Wild Lupine
(Lupinus
perennis) grows
in the Shen Campus Field Study Area, one of the open fields behind High School West
(an area many
Shen students call "the bowl"). Wild Lupine is
a member of the pea family. 
At Shen, this wildflower blooms
approximately from late May to mid June producing beautiful blue 1/2
to 3/4 inch long flowers. The plant grows to a height of
1-2 feet and produces hairy seed pods which ripen in
midsummer. The seed pods open forcibly, throwing the seeds a
distance of one or two yards in the process.
Why is
wild lupine important?
This
beautiful wildflower is the
only
known food source for the caterpillars of the endangered
Karner Blue Butterfly (Lycaeides
melissa samuelis).
The Karner blue is a small butterfly
with a wing span of approximately one inch. Karner
blue adults are nectar-feeders, aiding in the pollination of a variety
of wildflowers. Females
lay eggs on the underside of a leaf or stem of the food plant, wild lupine (Lupinus perrennis). The tiny green larvae
(caterpillars) are highly specialized, feeding exclusively on the wild lupine leaves. Without lupine, the
Karner blue would not survive.
Karner blue egg on a wild lupine stem
Karner blue larva feeding on wild lupine (with
tending ant)
