[Wikipedia] Range, Habitat, Caterpillar Host: Hosackia gracilis, synonym Lotus formosissimus, is a species of legume native to western North America from British Columbia through Washington and Oregon to California. It was first described by George Bentham.[1] It is known by the common names harlequin lotus[2] and seaside bird's-foot trefoil.[3] It grows in moist spots in the coastal mountains and down to the oceanside bluffs. It is believed that the caterpillars of the critically endangered lotis blue butterfly (syn. Lycaeides idas lotis, Lycaeides argyrognomon lotis, Plebejus anna lotis) feed on Hosackia gracilis on the Mendocino coast in damp coastal prairies.[4][5] (link added by Mary Ann Machi)