June 07, 2006
Wednesday

Ketchikan, Alaska - Jodi Muzzana photographed these beautiful blue lupine growing along the road north of Ketchikan on Tuesday.

Muzzana noted that wild blue lupine grow in soil so light and sandy that hardly anything else will thrive. It assimilates the free nitrogen of the air, greatly enriching the soil.

Lupine develop hairy seed pods, which ripen in mid-summer. The seed pods open so forcibly, throwing the seeds up to 2 yards away in the process.

The flowers attract Bees, Butterflies, and Hummingbirds. Muzzana said, "Be aware that all of the parts of the plant are thought to be poisonous."

SitNews
Stories In The News
Ketchikan, Alaska