Make a pasture, a prairie or a pleasant memory
Scattered here and there along the trail I spied sprinkles of pale magenta puff balls poking out of the greenery. Red clover, trifolium pratense, is in the family of legumes and is one of the world's oldest agricultural crops, cultivated as forage since prehistoric times.
Hearkening back to a childhood practice, I picked off an inflorescence - or flower head - and as I walked along the trail I plucked one tiny floweret at a time and pulled it between my teeth for a gentle taste of sweet nectar.
“To make a prairie it takes a clover and one bee, One clover, and a bee. And revery. The revery alone will do, If bees are few."
Emily Dickenson
Red clover has a long history as a religious symbol. The ancient Greeks, Romans, and the Celts of Ireland revered it. Because of its unusual trifoliate leaves with distinctive white chevrons, early Christians linked the plant to the Trinity, and some say red clover is the model for Ireland's symbol, the shamrock. Red clover was also the model for the suit of clubs in playing cards.
During the middle Ages, red clover was considered a charm against witchcraft. Pick a red clover today and protect yourself from an evil spell - or just pop it into your mouth for an earthy sweet treat.
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