Participation: Clover as a Better Alternative than Grass

White clover (Trifolium repens) is a common "weed" of gardens. Despite being an introduced species from Europe, the clover provides pollinating opportunities for insects that lawn grass does not. The plant itself also provides shelter for many species of animals, including the snapping turtle below, spotted in late August.

The turtle here was uprooting the clover to dig a nest. I would imagine that some plants are much more difficult to dig through than clover, such as the powerful root systems of the invasive Queen Anne's lace (Daucus carota), which occupies the same niche. Clover may benefit the snapping turtle in other ways as well, providing a foraging opportunity: snapping turtles are common predators of earthworms.



Clover is a herbaceous perennial plant, meaning it lives several years, persisting through the winter with surviving roots. When it does die, it leaves behind traces of nitrogen that can be utilized by other plants. It also requires less water than lawn grass (Smith & Fellowes 2013). White clover may be a nonnative species that can be beneficial to the environments it lives in, even if it does displace native flora. Either way, it is a better alternative than nonnative lawn grass, which provides little for native species to use.

Source:

Smith, L. S., & Fellowes, M. D. (2013). Towards a lawn without grass: the journey of the imperfect lawn and its analogues. Studies in the History of Gardens & Designed Landscapes, 33(3), 157-169.