06/23/2026
🌿 Native or not? Sometimes what we see most often isn't actually what belongs here.
Many Ontarians recognize lupines blooming along roadsides and assume they're native wildflowers. In reality, the lupine most commonly seen across much of Ontario is often the non-native Bigleaf Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus), a species introduced from western North America that has naturalized in many areas.
Our native Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis) tells a very different story. Once nearly lost from Ontario, it is a plant of sandy prairies, oak savannas, and barrens. While more subtle in appearance than its larger cousin, it plays an irreplaceable ecological role.
🦋 Wild Lupine is the sole larval host plant for the endangered Karner Blue butterfly and supports a wide range of native pollinators and wildlife that evolved alongside it.
How can you tell them apart?
🔹 Native Wild Lupine (Lupinus perennis)
• Smaller, more delicate plant
• Usually 7–9 leaflets per leaf
• Better adapted to Ontario's native ecosystems
🔹 Non-native Bigleaf Lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus)
• Larger, more robust plant
• Typically has more leaflets per leaf
• Commonly seen along roadsides and disturbed areas
This is a great example of how abundance doesn't always equal nativeness. Sometimes the plants we encounter most frequently are introduced species, while the true natives have become increasingly rare.
By choosing native plants, we're helping restore ecological relationships that have existed for thousands of years.
Have you ever seen Wild Lupine growing in Ontario?
