Red Clover

Trifolium pratense

Red Clover is a herbaceous perennial which has rounded pink to red flower heads which have a leaf directly below them. The leaves are formed of three oval leaflets, often with a whitish V-shaped band.

It flowers May to September, and it is found in meadows, pastures, rough grassland, wasteland and verges. A native species, and abundant and widespread throughout.

This is an important pollinator for bees and other insects. It is also extensively grown for pastureland as a forage crop for livestock.

Gone To Seed

After a week’s very hot weather, it has encourged much of the grass in the local fields to go to seed.

Summer Field of Life

What I saw on my morning walk, local field, Staffordshire.

Standing Out

Small Tortoiseshell (Aglais urticae) on Common Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea).

We Have Lift-off!

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) gone to seed, and blowin’ in the wind.

Field of Gold

Even with dull, slate-grey skies you can usually find something out and about whilst walking that brightens the day. This is a field filled with Rape (Brassica napus), and the shoots on the trees were just opening up fresh and green.

Photograph taken May 2014, local field, Staffordshire.

Yorkshire Fog

Holcus lanatus

Walking through a local field I came across drifts of this beautiful grass. It is a variable, tufted grass with grey-green leaves and tall, downy stems. The pinkish-red flowers are tightly packed to begin with, until they spread and open out in two-flowered spikelets. It is a perennial grass, and grows up to 1m tall.

It flowers from May to August, and is found in meadows, woodland margins and openings, and wasteground. It is a common and widespread species.

Photographs taken June 2012, local field, Staffordshire.