A country weed with city problems

Posted June 1, 2022

If you live in North America, Europe, Asia, or almost any other temperate environment, you’ve probably seen Trifolium repens, an unassuming white clover popular with bees and unpopular with homeowners fixated on a perfect lawn. Native to Europe and Asia, this hardy species has spread all over the globe with an assist from humans who introduced it to new environments for livestock to graze on. But T. repens didn’t stay put in those rural farmlands: as the clover was advancing into any available grassy area, cities were encroaching on surrounding countryside. Today, white clover is everywhere — in bucolic fields, urban parks, and the sidewalk cracks of bustling metropolises. Since this country weed has taken up life in the big city, it has also experienced a pronounced evolutionary change…

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