Botany and Ornithology can go hand in hand despite the fact that the wildflowers tend to be at your feet whilst the birds are generally at a higher level.
Back in June, whilst completing a regular bird survey on Grouville Common, a vibrant patch of pink caught my eye.
Upon closer inspection it was most definitely a Clover and with further investigation it has been identified as Reversed Clover (Trifolium resupinatum).
Unusually this clover has flowers which are twisted upside down, so the heads appear flatter than most of the Trifolium family.
Reversed Clover features in few British Botany books and none of our local botanists have ever seen it before. Records are quite vague and it seems this curious clover hasn’t been recorded locally for at least 25 years.
A very lucky find!
Alli Singleton
Member of the Botany and Ornithology Sections
