Legendary Legumes: Silky Lupins

Did you know that Silky lupines are part of the legume family? Legumes are a special family of plants that are well know for their nitrogen fixing abilities. On Earth, around 80% of our atmosphere is made up of nitrogen gas. However, nitrogen in this form is unusable to people and many other living things. That's where the legumes come it.

These plants have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing bacteria that will live on the plants roots in little nodules. The bacteria will turn the nitrogen gas into ammonia that can be used by the plant as personal fertilizer. Some of the ammonia could also leach into the soil around the plant in certain cases, including with lupines.

Because of this, lupines can help the plants around it grow. Silky lupines are also great for pollinators like native bees and hummingbirds, making lupines a friend to many other plants and animals. Just be careful of lupines around domestic livestock, like cows, sheep, and horses, since lupines are toxic to them.