tufted vetch

Also known as Cow Vetch, Bird Vetch, Blue Vetch, Boreal Vetch

Tufted vetch forms dense, tangled mats over surrounding vegetation, using branched leaf-tip tendrils to anchor its slender climbing stems. Dense one-sided spikes of twenty or more brilliant blue-violet pea flowers bloom through summer, attracting long-tongued bumblebees and butterflies. Like many members of the pea family, its roots host symbiotic bacteria that enrich the soil by converting atmospheric nitrogen.