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BUTTERFLY PARTY

Right out in front of the deck we have a big rich patch of Red Clover (Trifolium pratense), for some reason the only patch around here. That's also close to where I do all my wood chopping, and despite the ground being trampled in the late summer and fall, the Red Clover comes up bright green and purple each spring and grows apace, competing with yomogi for the empty space, but here I must admit I side with the clover and mow down the yomogi. There's a sweep of White Clover next to the red, and White Clover can be seen all over the open spaces on the mountain around here. But this is the only Red Clover, and the bees and butterflies love it, so come from all around on droves of buzzing and wafting wings to party in the roly-poly-blossomed Red Clover patch. Being of the Bs myself, I love Red Clover too. This morning when I looked there was a crowd of butterflies of all descriptions there, nectaring their fill, with a couple of bumblebees trying to elbow in. As I watched I imagined the taste of clover honey, so I know what I good time they were all having. In herbal medicine, Red Clover blossoms are reputedly good for everything from coughs to cancer. But when the Red Clover gets too overgrown, I harvest a lot of the purple pom-poms just to use as-is (or dry) for tea. A few Red Clover blossoms in a pot of any tea impart a nice honey flavor. Can't buy that at the grocery store.