Description: Spikes of blue-purple flowers with palmate leaves. This plant blooms profusely in spikes that make it a popular choice for gardens or restorations with dry to sandy soils.
Growth Habit: Upright, clump-forming perennial. 2ft height
Sun/Shade: Full to partial sun.
Water Needs: Low to moderate; prefers well-drained soil.
Soil Preferences: Well-drained, sandy or loamy soil.
Benefits: Attracts pollinators and supports endangered species. Great for prairie restorations.
 
From Prairie Moon Nursery:
Sundial Lupine blooms profusely in racemes with pea-like blue & purple flowers. Palm-shaped leaves surround the plant as an added attraction, making it a popular choice for gardens or restorations with dry, sandy soils. Lupine requires well-drained soils but will adapt to most dry soil types; sand. loam, and gravel. You can find lupine in oak savannas, sand prairies, and pine barrens plant communities.  Lupine foliage can look a little worn by the end of summer, so plan for late summer and fall bloomers nearby in the garden.
 
This legume is the only host plant for the Karner Blue butterfly, an endangered species native to the Great Lakes region. After Sundial Lupine emerges in spring, the first brood of the Karner Blue Butterfly will hatch from eggs laid the previous summer and feed on the new leaves for 3-4 weeks. Once the caterpillars pupate and emerge as butterflies, they only live for a week or two. During this time, they will mate, and lay eggs of the second and final brood of the season. The second brood will hatch in summer, and lay eggs that will lay dormant through the winter and hatch the following spring.