July 14, 2013 - Wildflowers - Bayfield WI

At the end of June, Diana and I went to Bayfield, Wisconsin, on the south shore of Lake Superior. We saw many fields of Lupine at the peak of their blooming season. It’s often called Purple Lupine but, as you can see, it also comes in white, blue, and several shades of pink.

LupinefieldWashburn20130628

Here’s an example of a blue Lupine. The individual flowers at the bottom of the plant are the first to open. The others gradually open over time; you can see that the flowers at the top are not yet open. By making the flowers available to insects over a longer period of time, the plant increases the odds that some of them will be pollinated.

LupineBayfield20130628

The Audubon Wildflower app says the name Lupine comes from the Latin word lupis, meaning “wolf.” At one time, Lupines were thought to deplete, or “wolf,” minerals from the soil. However, as a member of the pea family, they actually enhance it by taking nitrogen from the air and “fixing” it into the soil. I also learned from this app that all parts of the Lupine plant are poisonous.

LupineBayfield20130628

Buttercups are also blooming now. They are found throughout North America except in a few southern states. They’re cute little flowers, only about an inch wide. They are also poisonous and therefore not browsed upon by animals.

ButtercupCommonBayfield20130624

Forget-me-nots were introduced from Europe. These are really tiny flowers, only ¼ inch wide. They grow in clusters like this one.

ForgetnotBayfield20130625

Orange Hawkweed is also native to Europe and is found in Alaska, southern Canada, and the northern United States, especially New England. It’s quite showy and blooms from June to August. The flowers are about ¾ inch across and have petals with fringed edges. The flowers close up at night, and also on very cloudy or rainy days.

HawkweedOrangeBayfield20130629