Boothbay Region Garden Club’s new logo (below) is an expression of life and gardening in the Boothbay region of Maine. Three beautiful lighthouses—Burnt Island light, Cuckold’s, and Ram Island—marked sailors’ entry to our region over the centuries. Hendrick’s Head Light warned of rocks on our western border.
Our logo has three important native wildflowers. The first is native lupine, also known as sundial lupine. Maine is famous for its seasonal show of lupines. Nearly all are, unfortunately, not the native Lupinus perennis which is harder to find in Maine. Our native lupine is the host plant for the endangered Karner Blue Butterfly (Plebejus samuelis), which is now extinct from our state. Boothbay Region Garden Club chose the native lupine to call attention to the importance of re-establishing both species in our area and in Maine.
Another native wildflower is the Red and yellow native Eastern Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis) which is a favorite early bloomer for hummingbirds and butterflies…and humans. And our third choice is Rudbeckia, several of which are native to Maine and can be seen in meadows, gardens and along our interstates.
The Maine native lupine is no longer found growing wild in the state, but has been re-introduced in small areas in southern Maine.
Please join us in our mission to re-establish the Maine native lupine in its proper home.
This native lupine is an essential plant for the Karner Blue butterfly which no longer resides in Maine due to habitat loss and loss of the sundial lupine. Bringing back the native Lupine can create an environment where these butterflies may also be re-established.
In the meantime, the sundial lupine does act as a host plant for other Maine butterflies, including the eastern tailed blue, gray hairstreak butterfly and the clouded sulphur butterfly.
Unlike the sundial, the non-native western lupine (Lupinus polyphyllus), which is prolific along Maine’s highways, does not seem to act as a host plant for any of Maine’s butterflies.
