Medic(k)

Black Medick (Medicago lupulina)

As this summer has progressed, we've discovered lots of Black Medick (Medicago lupulina) growing along the paths at the bottom of the garden. This low-growing annual (occasionally a short-lived perennial) prefers sunny locations and low-mown or grazed areas. It's widespread across the UK, and across much of Europe and Asia as well. Our walkways are the only bits of the garden that really suit it; the grass is just too tall elsewhere. The species is part of the pea family, so its yellow flowers have the classic pea flower shape – just on a miniscule scale.  The yellow flowers measure a mere 2-3 mm (about 1/8 of an inch)! They're clustered in eye-catching balls of several dozen blossoms, nicely framed by trefoil leaves that have a distinct point at the tip. As they develop, the plant's circular seeds change from green to black. Black Medick typically flowers from mid-spring through mid-summer, but like everything else, it seems to be running late this year; we're still seeing plenty of flowers even though we've now reached "late summer". The plant has been used since the 15th century as a low-grade forage crop on drier soils. Members of the pea family are famous for their ability to fix nitrogen (pulling it from the air and adding it, eventually, to the soil), which is helpful to other plants as well. That said, we probably get so much fertilizer drift from the surrounding farm fields that nitrogen fixing isn't really needed here! The flowers attract a variety of insects, including bees, day-flying moths and butterflies, which make them a welcome addition to the garden.