Dehiscing lupines

Lupines are an invasive species in Iceland. They were imported in the 1940s to combat topsoil loss caused by sheep overgrazing. Now the lupines threaten native mosses.

Lupines spread their seeds through dehiscence: the seedpods pop open in the sun. I wouldn't have known this, except that when we took a second hike around Botnsvatn, the lake above Husavik, we heard a startling crackling sound every time we passed a patch of lupines. I tried recording a patch on the north side of the lake. The video captures the radiant green of the plants, but the audio is barely a whisper compared to the real thing.