Red clover - a common, easy to walk by plant with a lovely “flower” (actually multiple flowers each with five tiny petals). It supports the survival of so many species, including us! I highly recommend this fascinating article on the history of clover through the ages, its rise, fall and recent resurgence as we relearn its bounty.
A plant that changed the world
Clover has bacteria in root nodules which make atmospheric nitrogen available to feed the plant and enrich the soil. Our ancestors, without knowing the “how” were well aware that clover helps things grow. It remained a wild plant until around 1000 when domestic growing began in Spain. The use of crop rotations using clover became essential to replace soil nitrogen lost in food sent to growing populations of city dwellers. A land of milk and honey describes the impact of clover on the land. Livestock thrived on its use as a high protein fodder food and honey bees flourished. All changed, the colour drained from our fields and the buzzing ceased when “progress” displaced clover and other nitrogen fixing plants with mass produced artificial fertiliser after the Second World War. A short term fix in a time of food shortage, but with high energy production costs, river nitrate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, the impact of harming rather than working with nature is now clear. So Clover to the rescue once again. The power of clover. A win win for bees, farmers and the environment
A Bristol University study found adding red clover to just 1% of farm area more than doubled the number of bumblebee nests the farmland could support. By supporting pollinator populations, clover indirectly supports the pollination of countless other crops, helping our food security.
4 leaved clovers (around 1 in 5,000 naturally grown clovers) are said to bring luck. Beware, looking for them can become an obsession. Edward Martin holds the record of 160,000 4-leaf clovers found in a lifetime of probably not achieving much else! Farms in the US specialize in genetically engineered four-leaf clovers, producing as many as 10,000 a day (to be sealed in plastic as "lucky charms"). “Luck” packaged and bought. How sad is that.
Photos from the field behind the school.