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Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)

Red Clover | Stillwater, MN| View Enlarged Image

A European import, Red Clover was originally intended as a grazing plant in pastures. It has since escaped, and is now common in most open spaces and along most roadsides. Some farmers still sow fallow fields with it, as its roots repair damage and increase fertility by giving off nitrogen.

Pollinating insects love Red Clover. As you can see below, other pollinating insects like the Monarch Butterfly are also drawn to its bright color and fragrant pollen. When most people think of clover, they usually think of the rounded leaves of the White Clover, and not the lancet-shaped leaves of the Red. Both are part of the same family, and will occasionally produce the four-leafed stalk some consider lucky.

Multimedia:

Monarch Butterfly on Red Clover | Stillwater, MN

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