Cream Wild Indigo (Baptisia bracteate) or (Baptisia leucophaea)
I love the Wild Indigos. This one is not as robust as Blue False Indigo, but it is just as satisfying to watch those bumblebees squeeze into the pea-like blossoms. While Cream Wild Indigo attracts a number of native bees, it is particularly important for queen bumblebees, who use it after they emerge in the spring (illinoiswildflower.info). It is the host plant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing, Clouded Sulphur, and 16 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org), including the threatened Frosted Elfin (mnfi.anr.msu.edu) and Persius Dusky Wing (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Cream Wild Indigo is considered endangered in Michigan, so while you may not be preserving the plant that was once here, you are creating habitat for all of the species that may need it for survival (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Deer and other mammalian herbivores avoid it because it is poisonous and can make cattle, horses, or other livestock sick if too much is consumed (illinoiswildflower.info).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer (1), John Blair (2)
I love the Wild Indigos. This one is not as robust as Blue False Indigo, but it is just as satisfying to watch those bumblebees squeeze into the pea-like blossoms. While Cream Wild Indigo attracts a number of native bees, it is particularly important for queen bumblebees, who use it after they emerge in the spring (illinoiswildflower.info). It is the host plant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing, Clouded Sulphur, and 16 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org), including the threatened Frosted Elfin (mnfi.anr.msu.edu) and Persius Dusky Wing (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Cream Wild Indigo is considered endangered in Michigan, so while you may not be preserving the plant that was once here, you are creating habitat for all of the species that may need it for survival (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Deer and other mammalian herbivores avoid it because it is poisonous and can make cattle, horses, or other livestock sick if too much is consumed (illinoiswildflower.info).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer (1), John Blair (2)
I love the Wild Indigos. This one is not as robust as Blue False Indigo, but it is just as satisfying to watch those bumblebees squeeze into the pea-like blossoms. While Cream Wild Indigo attracts a number of native bees, it is particularly important for queen bumblebees, who use it after they emerge in the spring (illinoiswildflower.info). It is the host plant for the Wild Indigo Duskywing, Clouded Sulphur, and 16 other species of butterflies and moths in our area (nwf.org), including the threatened Frosted Elfin (mnfi.anr.msu.edu) and Persius Dusky Wing (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Cream Wild Indigo is considered endangered in Michigan, so while you may not be preserving the plant that was once here, you are creating habitat for all of the species that may need it for survival (mnfi.anr.msu.edu). Deer and other mammalian herbivores avoid it because it is poisonous and can make cattle, horses, or other livestock sick if too much is consumed (illinoiswildflower.info).
Photo credit: Joshua Mayer (1), John Blair (2)
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Moisture: Medium – Dry
Height: 1.5-2 feet
Plant Spacing: 2-3 feet
Bloom Time: May-June
Bloom Color: Cream
Advantages: Caterpillar Favorite, Pollinator Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Landscaping plant
Host Plant: Wild Indigo Duskywing, Clouded Sulphur, and 16 other species of butterflies and moths use this as a caterpillar host plant in our area (nwf.org)
Species of Concern: State Status: Endangered (legally protected), State Rank: Critically imperiled (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)
Beneficial for Endangered or Threatened Species: Possibly the Frosted Elfin (mnfi.anr.msu.edu), Persius dusky wing (Erynnis persius persius) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu)
