Birdsfoot Trefoil
Scientific Name: Lotus corniculatus
Category: plant
Brief Description
A low-growing perennial legume with bright yellow, pea-like flowers and clusters of leaves resembling a bird's foot.
Characteristics
Features clusters of bright yellow flowers often tinged with red, trifoliate leaves with two additional leaflets at the base of the petiole making them look like five leaflets, and slender seed pods that resemble a bird's foot.
Habitat
Found in disturbed areas, roadsides, grasslands, pastures, and waste places, thriving in well-drained soils and full sun.
When to Find It
Blooms from late spring through summer, typically May to September.
Conservation Status
N/A
Ecological Role
Acts as an important nitrogen fixer in soil, and provides nectar and pollen for a wide variety of native bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Easily Confused With
Can be confused with other yellow-flowered legumes like Black Medic (Medicago lupulina), which has smaller flowers and serrated leaf margins.
Observation Tips
Look for its bright patches of yellow flowers along sunny roadsides and grassy fields during the summer months.
Interesting Facts
Despite being widely introduced as forage for livestock and for erosion control, it is often considered an invasive weed in native prairies and natural areas across North America.