Species › Plants › Blue Wild Indigo

Blue Wild Indigo

Baptisia australis

CommonPlant
Illustration of Blue Wild Indigo (Baptisia australis)

Blue Wild Indigo is a long-lived native prairie wildflower with striking blue-violet flowers in spring that resemble lupine. It develops large, inflated black seed pods that rattle in the wind in fall. The plant is a larval host for several specialist butterflies including the wild indigo duskywing and orange sulfur.

Habitat
Open prairies, woodland edges, and dry upland meadows in eastern US
Diet
Larval host for wild indigo duskywing; bumblebees are primary pollinators
How common
Common

Best time to see a Blue Wild Indigo

The best time to see a Blue Wild Indigo is May–June, when about 67% of U.S. sightings happen, based on 5,971 research-grade iNaturalist observations.

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