Two clovers

Currently we have two clovers blooming in Filnore Woods:  the red clover which is a native and the white clover, an introduced species. 

The white clover, aka dutch clover, is the one that invades your lawn.  It does have the merit of staying green when the rest of the lawn is parched by June heatwaves  -  errrr, maybe not so much this year.  It spreads by runners like strawberries and creeping buttercups.

The red clover is not red.  It is pink or purple.  It stands more erect than the white clover and the leaflets are more pointed.

Do you like butter

I know buttercups are very ordinary but they are still beautiful.  These are meadow buttercups.  They are the tallest, most graceful species and have very finely divided leaves.         The creeping buttercup likes damp places and spreads by runners.  You may know it as a weed in your garden & in your lawn.               The bulbous buttercup is the third common species and likes drier ground.  You can tell it by the sepals, the little green bits just below the petals.  On the bulbous buttercup they are sharply turned down.  Allan Burberry tells me that all three species can be found around Filnore.