do birds eat lupine seeds

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Thus, figuring out how much more seed I would need to have the birds and lupines as well was simple. I would have had an exciting flower flush if I had seeded as much as evolution and the plant itself intended, or about ten 1-ounce sacks.

A mixture of blue sky (Lupinus nanus), purple arroyo (Lupinus succulentus), yellow chick (Lupinus microcarpus densiflorus), and northern pine (Lupinus albicaulis) lupines were our first plantings in October. Alongside them were poppies, gilia, clarkia, and wheat, a crop grown in classrooms that added an unanticipated touch of elegance.

This is the outcome of a semi-controlled experiment that was, to be sure, unintentional. The seeds were purchased from the same packs and at the same location at the same time. They were planted in two almost identical gardens last fall—my backyard and the courtyard garden in the elementary school two blocks away. In my garden, the three lupines to germinate soon disappeared. The spring bloom at the school where I had given the seed was so amazing that the most grumpy custodians temporarily forgot about their complaints about mulch drifting.

Aha. Nearly four acres of asphalt cover the school garden where the lupines flourished, making it impossible for a snail from a nearby house to slither through. On the other hand, my garden depends on opossums to manage the army of snails that prowl our long, lush block at night. Advertisement.

Lupines have been banished from our garden because of the fertility gap, which is vividly illustrated by letting a lupine’s petals droop and a beanstalk brown gradually. Since lupines are an adaptation of nature, each plant—these are merely the small annual ones—produces twenty or even thirty stalks. After that, each of these develops into about 40 seed pods, each of which holds about five seeds. That’s 4,000 to 6,000 seeds. On the other hand, a typical 1-ounce seed packet could hold 600 seeds, or the equivalent of two or three spires. To put it briefly, a single lupine bush has evolved to produce ten times as much seed for one plant as is typically recommended on a standard seed packet for an entire bed.

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FAQ

Do birds eat lupine seed pods?

For the next several months the green, developing lupine seed pods will attract Lesser Goldfinches. In autumn, the dry opened seed pods will attract Chestnut-backed Chickadees who will dangle as they search for food within. The Yellow bush lupine is listed in Calflora as a native that can become invasive.

Do squirrels eat lupine seeds?

Rodents such as deer mice, squirrels and chipmunks have been eating so many Lassics lupine seeds from the plants that, absent intervention, the species appears to be on the path to extinction within the next 50 years (Kurkjian et al. 2016).

What animal eats lupine seeds?

In the Western States livestock, especially sheep, are frequently poisoned by eating lupine seeds and pods. Losses may be especially heavy when hungry sheep are trailed through lupine ranges in late summer. Lupine hay remains toxic and has been reported to poison sheep.

Can you scatter lupine seeds?

Spacing: If broadcasting seed, broadcast at a rate of approximately 1 pound per 1000 feet. If planting mature plants, space larger varieties 2-3′ apart, smaller varieties 12-18” apart. Lupines are deep-rooted and do not spread except through re-seeding.