The more I see of this rather attractive little plant, the more I grow to appreciate it.
It first came to my attention when I learnt it is the principal larval food-plant for the Dingy Skipper butterfly. Now I seem to spot it all over the place, in meadows, woodland, road verges and gardens. In fact, it is well distributed throughout the UK and Ireland and has adapted to thrive on both damp clay and sandy soils, on sand dunes in coastal regions and even on limestone rocks.
Bird's-foot trefoil gets its name from the likeness of the shape of its seed pod set to a bird's foot. This plant could even hold the record for the number of common names, "Eggs and Bacon" seems to be the East Sussex preference (based on the observation that the flower turns from yellow to red tinged with age), but there are many others.
As a member of the pea family (Leguminosae) it has the distinctive "pea flower". Such flowers are described as 'zygomorphic', meaning that the flower is bilaterally symmetrical, as opposed to the radial symmetry of a daisy or a buttercup flower. This flower shape is important as it assists in the more efficient attachment of pollen to insect pollinators, especially bees.
Bumblebees are especially fond of leguminous plants and the Red-tailed Bumblebee (Bombus lapidarius) is especially fond of yellow flowers too, so bird's-foot trefoil is a firm favourite for this bumblebee.
BFTBombus_lapidarius_JimBarratt
Along with the Dingy Skipper, many other butterflies and moths use bird's-foot trefoil as a larval foodplant. It provides food for the Common Blue and Clouded Yellow butterflies, and also for the colourful and distinctive Five-spot and Six-spot Burnet moths. Indeed many other insects, including species of flies and beetles, rely on bird's-foot trefoil for food.
It also has economic importance as a fodder plant when grown in combination with meadow grasses and in the right conditions it can also be a nitrogen fixer.
This article was kindly written and submitted by Jim Barratt Rother Guardian Volunteer following a WMI meadows and butterfly talk presented to the group in the summer of 2011. Jim also takes pictures and writes for the Rother Guardian Blog and in May 2011 featured a walk at The Beech Estates Ashburnham Meadows.
