Consider-the-Lilies Web Gallery
Birdfoot Trefoil
From early June through July, this colorful ground cover is a common sight on the shoulders of state highways in the Shenandoah Valley.
A member of the Pea (Fabaceae) family, it is an alien perennial that has found a niche as a nutritious pasture crop and as a "green mulch".
A spreading plant, as Peas often are, it thrives on rocky roadsides, producing its colorful blossoms, while squeezing out weedy growth and reducing the need for mowing.
(Some imported flora don't have such a positive history. Included in this list are Autumn Olive, Bush Honeysuckle, Japanese Honeysuckle , and Rosa Multiflora.)
The delicate yellow blossoms are probably little appreciated by farmers and highway departments, and hardly at all by vehicles on their way down the highway.
Perhaps discerned only as a yellow blur by most who pass by, here is what you would see if you pulled over and stopped to consider this lily.
The distinctive, pillow-like Pea blossoms of Lotus corniculatus are found on other lilies in the Gallery.
Other Fabaceae that
show their family resemblance—albeit using different palettes for their
coloration—are the Panicled Tick Trefoil
and Perennial Sweet Pea.
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OR
Go back to the Main Directory to consider more lilies of the field.