Rabbit Foot Clover

 

Other names: haresfoot clover, stone clover, oldfield clover

 

Family: Fabaceae

 

Range: Much of the Eastern US and Canada, and some western states.

 

Native: Introduced

 

Native Habitat: Europe and Western Asia.    It grows in dry sandy soils, both acidic and alkaline, typically found at the edge of fields, in wastelands, at the side of roads, on sand dunes, and in disturbed agricultural sites.

 

Bloom Time: May to October

 

Notes:

 

I’ve long thought this was a grass.    It’s incredibly feathery, much more like a grass than a regular clover, and I’ve seen in around at road or field edges all my life, so it’s been fixed in my brain as a grass for a long time.     I’m totally not surprised it’s a clover in actually looking into it, but it’s not something I ever thought was a legume.

 

The hairiness of this clover is meant to protect it, as it does favor drier, sunnier habitats.

 

Locations in Photos:

 

Fort Williams Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME

Crescent Beach State Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME

Kettle Cove, Cape Elizabeth, ME

Mackworth Island State Park, ME

Crawford Notch State Park, NH