Our wild lupines are nearing peak, when their pea-like flowers will have fully crested the plants’ mountainish flowerhead:
The perennial wild plant’s scientific name is Lupinus perennis. Lupinus means “of the wolf,” an indication that the lovely plants tend to run in packs that ravage the areas where they grow. They’re also known as quaker bonnets and bluebonnets for those who want to be sedate.
Lupins are members of the legume/pea family, as their flowers indicate. However, they also have large, spectacular radiating leaves at the end of long stalks. The leaflets and stems initially are hairy and can become smooth with age.
(Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on June 8, 2025.)