mystery solved

i have never known why this pervasive little yellow-flowered roadside weed is called bird’s foot trefoil. trefoil means three-leaves, and indeed if you look closely, the leaves are tri-lobed. so, trefoil makes sense. but i have never understood the bird’s foot nomenclature for what i assumed was a description of those diminutive yellow pea-like flowers. today, i learned from whence the name comes: the seeds!  i have seen and admired a lot of bird’s foot trefoil over the years (i love how it brightens our roadsides for a month every summer), but i have never noticed the seeds; not at any time in my 59 years. right now, bird’s foot trefoil is lining every single road i drive during my weekly routines. that is whole lot of trefoil! i have no idea why today i finally noticed the bird’s feet. better late than never. truly.

bird’s foot trefoil (Lotus corniculatus)