White clover

White Clover (Trifolium repens)

The paths through the garden are currently awash in White Clover (Trifolium repens) blooms. These probably rank among the best-known flowers in the Northern Hemisphere; even people who know little about wildlife are often familiar with them. Bumblebees absolutely love them, crawling from one flower to the next, working their way all around one head before moving on to the next. We can't bring ourselves to mow the paths while they're attracting so much "passing trade"! (See below.) In the UK, it is pretty much ubiquitous in grassland areas (including lawns), though it doesn't grow well in shade or among taller grasses. Because it's tolerant of trampling, heavy grazing, drought, and frequent mowing, it's often added to informal lawn mixes and pastures. Native throughout Europe and east to central Asia, this low-growing perennial has been introduced to North America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Japan, and is widely grown as a forage crop elsewhere. It is said to be the temperate zone's most imporant forage legume. Like most legumes, it contains nitrogen-fixing bacteria, which allow it to pull nitrogen from the atmosphere; when the plant dies, its stored nitrogen is released into the soil, thus helping to enrich it. Humans have used the plant as "emergency rations" for centuries. In India, it is used to treat intestinal worms. And, of course, carefully scanning the many sprawling patches stretched across the garden paths may yield a "lucky" four-leafed clover!

Flowers slowly go pinkish or creamy as they age.