Can anyone tell me what this is?

[hercsmama]

We have tons of it in our pastures right now. I'm just wondering what type of plant it is?

[hercsmama]

Sorry thi picture is so large!
We recently moved up here from Texas, at first we thought they might be related to Blue Bonnets, but the plant itself is all wrong for that.

[offthegrid]

alfalfa?

http://www.textbookalfalfa.com/media...op_upscale.png



Hard to be sure without a picture of the plant as well as the flower.

[hercsmama]

Nope, that's not it. It's almost a blue/purple color, I don't have a pic of the plant, I'll try to get one later. It's kind of spindly, and they are growing in huge groupings. My neighbor said he thought it was a type of nettle? But that didn't seem right to me...

[Rockytopsis]

Crown Vetch?

[offthegrid]

Doesn't look like Cow Vetch but there may be other types of vetch; I'd definitely call that plant "spindly"



Woah, that's a big photo. Sorry! I saw a lot of vetch this morning walking dogs....

[offthegrid]

Or some kind of trefoil?

Darn, my wild plant book is at our camp. My first thought was some sort of legume; it sort of looks like sweet peas.

[offthegrid]

Huh, seems that there is a wild sweet pea:

http://www.wildflower.org/gallery/re...id_image=17901

[ksfarmer]

Wild Indigo? http://www.kswildflower.org/flower_d...p?flowerID=129

[bruce2288]

i believe that is hairy vetch. Where in the state are you?

[oneokie]

Lupine.

Post #6 is Hairy Vetch.

[Maverick_mg]

Oneokie is correct.

[hercsmama]

I think your right about it being lupine!
Now, besides it turning our pastures into a water color painting, anyone have any idea what we can use it for?
I wonder if you can dye fiber with it, or maybe use it in soap?
We are at the very northwest corner of Buffalo county, about 28 miles from Broken Bow.

[bruce2288]

Welcome neighbor. I not far away between farwell and ashton . How are finding things in Nebraska?

[hercsmama]

Howdy! Ya'll sure do have some interesting weather up here! Lol. Although here lately it feels like Texas in the spring time.
Actually, my dh is from Kearney, he's apparently related to half the state! I took him away to Texas just over 25 years ago, so now it's his turn to come home.
I really like it up here though. Super awesome people, and I'm looking forward to having four seasons.

[LisaInN.Idaho]

If it is lupine, I wouldn't want it in my pastures if you have livestock in them.

[hercsmama]

We're in Kearney right now. When we get back I'll get some decent pictures of the plants. Our neighbor has Polled Herfords and he is using our grass this year as we don't yet have any critters to run on it. He isn't concerned about it at all. Maybe it is a type of nettle after all.

[Tabitha]

It is not lupine, but it definitely looks like a legume. I am not familiar with wild plants west of Ky. The top picture looks like wild indigo, which a friend has in her flower bed, it grows four feet tall. If that is a nettle I'll eat my hat. Definitely not. Legume, and there are many of them. It will put nitrogen in your soil.

[hercsmama]

Well, I got more pictures, not so close up, but now can't get them from my phone to my computer.
I will say, I don't think it's a lupine at all. From a whole plant perspective, it does more closely resemble Vetch, but it's obviously some odd ball type. It's about 2-3 feet tall right now, and the color is more blue than purple. I'll keep trying with the pics.

[Mid Tn Mama]

Really? Lupine is a weed???? I try like heck to get it to grow in my garden. Oh, it's lovely--maybe my favorite flower. Those blues are hard to come by, aren't they?