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| flowers and leaves--do you notice how the newer flowers have white centers and the older flowers have purple centers? Pollinators are attracted to the white centers over the purple (which they don't see as well). The purple flowers have already been pollinated, while the white ones have not; in effect, the bluebonnets guide the pollinators to the unpollinated flowers! | leaves--lupines have palmately compound leaves |
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| developing fruits (legumes) in late Spring--once these seeds inside these fruits have matured, the seeds will be released and the plant will die. In early Fall after the first significant rain, the seeds will germinate and produce a rosette of leaves... | ..like the one pictured here. This rosette will grow through the winter; once it begins to warm in late February, the plant grows quickly and soon produces flowers. So if you ever plant bluebonnet seeds, sow them in August or September! |