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Bird's-foot Trefoil
Lotus corniculatus
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Bird's-foot Trefoil is one of those plants that is planted on purpose, but then escapes and becomes a bit of a nuisance. It is planted in cattle pastures to add a nice legume to the pasture mix. It grows better in poor soils than alfalfa and doesn't cause bloat, whatever that is.
It's a pretty flower, especially up close. It blooms from spring to fall. A lot of people like it and in northeast Indiana it seems to be confined to poorer soil, i.e. roadsides. I don't see many native species along roadsides, so it isn't really competing with our natives, just other foreigners.
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| Bird's-foot Trefoil can grow in extremely rocky places |
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| In northeast Indiana, they're extremely common along roadsides |
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| Note that the leaf has 5 leaflets, with two of them at the base of the leaf stem |
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| Another leaf/leaflet view |
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| Seed pods |
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| The flowerheads are arranged in a peculiar half-circle |
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