Common bird’s-foot trefoil

Eggs and bacon! 🌼🍳
The bird’s-foot trefoil (scientific name Lotus corniculatus) belongs to the Fabaceae family. It is a striking and widespread plant in grasslands. The leaves are trifoliate, like those of clover ☘️, the flowers are clustered in yellow-orange inflorescences 🌼, and the fruits are legumes ending in a small horn (hence the name corniculatus, from the Latin “cornu,” meaning horn).
The caterpillars 🐛 of some butterflies feed on this plant. Butterflies 🦋 visit the flower for nectar, but pollination is reserved for other insects, like bees 🐝 or wasps, which can force the petals apart to reach the staminal tube and stigma of the flower.
⁉️ Did you know? 😲
In Britain, bird’s-foot trefoil has 70 different names! This might be due to its use as forage and the specialization of crops. Since the flowers can sometimes show red streaks, one of its names is “Eggs and Bacon” 🍳.
Photo Pixabay