Lupine is one of the wildflowers that grow in abundance during the long Alaskan summers. Lupines thrive in nutrient-poor areas, so they are found growing in places newly uncovered by retreating glaciers, in disturbed areas and sometimes where there seems to be little soil. The plant was once thought to deplete or "wolf" the mineral content of the soil; hence the genus name derived from the Latin lupus ("wolf"). But actually, the plant enhances soil fertility by fixing atmospheric nitrogen into a useful form. They harbor nitrogen fixing bacteria in nodules on their roots. These bacteria can pull nitrogen out of the air and incorporate it into organic compounds that enrich the soil and nurture the lupines. Photo © copyright by Dr. Edward Mikol.