Best time to see: May to Sep

Key facts

A low-growing grassland plant with yellow flowers, often tinged orange or red, with seed heads resembling a bird's foot

Widespread and common in any short, rough grassland, tolerating close grazing such as by rabbits

The similar greater birdsfoot trefoil (lotus uliginosus) is found in damp grassland and marsh

Extras

Yellow, sometimes red-tinged, pea (i.e 5-petalled, winged) flowers, up to 7 in a head, 10–16 mm

Leaves appear trefoil but with an extra pair of leaflets bent back

Greater birdsfoot trefoil is more erect, and has more flowers in each head and hollow stems