Fabaceae
5–40 cm
Grassland
Yellow & orange
A cheerful low-growing flower with clusters of yellow and orange pea-flowers, found in grasslands throughout Britain.
Natural History
Bird's-foot Trefoil is one of the most widespread and cheerful wildflowers in Britain, its clusters of bright yellow and orange pea-flowers dotting grasslands, road verges, and coastal turf throughout the country from May to September. The flowers are typically yellow, but often flushed with orange or red, leading to the charming folk name 'eggs and bacon'. The name 'bird's-foot' refers to the seed pods, which spread like the toes of a bird's foot when ripe. Despite its small stature, Bird's-foot Trefoil is ecologically extremely important — it is the food plant of six species of butterfly, including the Common Blue and the Dingy Skipper, and provides nectar for a wide range of bees. It is also a nitrogen-fixing plant, enriching the soil wherever it grows.
Habitats
Key Pollinators
Traditional Uses
The plant is used as a fodder crop and in grassland restoration. It is an important food plant for butterfly caterpillars. It has some traditional medicinal uses as a sedative.
Did You Know?
Bird's-foot Trefoil is the food plant of six species of British butterfly, including the Common Blue — one of the most important wildflowers for butterfly conservation in the country.
Related Species
Common Poppy
Papaver rhoeas
The blazing scarlet emblem of remembrance, lighting up cornfields and roadsides with vivid colour from June to August.
Cowslip
Primula veris
A cheerful nodding cluster of golden-yellow bells that heralds spring in chalk grasslands and traditional hay meadows.
Primrose
Primula vulgaris
The delicate pale-yellow herald of spring, nestling in hedgebanks and woodland edges from February onwards.