Host Plants
The Mission Blue butterfly is entirely dependent upon three species of lupine (lupin) in the genus Lupinus: the silver lupine, Lupinus albifrons, the summer lupine, Lupinus formosus and the varied lupine, Lupinus variicolor. Ironically, the same harmful toxins which have led to the eradication of several lupines from rangeland are responsible for the protection of the Mission Blue larvae, as predators are deterred by the bitter taste.
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Famous quotes containing the words host and/or plants:
“Think of the earth as a living organism that is being attacked by billions of bacteria whose numbers double every forty years. Either the host dies, or the virus dies, or both die.”
—Gore Vidal (b. 1925)
“The holly and the ivy
Are plants that are well known
Of all the trees that grow in the woods
The holly bears the crown.”
—Unknown. The Holly and the Ivy (l. 1–4)