Lupines close up

Wild lupines are the only foods for the Karner blue butterfly caterpillar. The Karner blue butterfly is NH's state butterfly. 

There are many varied uses for lupines. The flowers are useful for dyeing cloth. The seeds are said to aid digestion and have been used in skin care for removing spots from the face. The Romans used the flat seeds for theater money. The Romans also used lupines for fertilizer and ate the high-protein seeds.