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Common Bird's-foot-trefoil

Lotus corniculatus

Found in fields, roadsides, and waste places. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), South Central edition What its natural habitat tells you

—
Not native

Not native to Alabama. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
About 2.4 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
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At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
June to September
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 3 Alabama counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

8CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AL

Genus host records with ranges including AL · Lotus

  • Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
  • Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
  • Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
  • Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
  • Epargyreus clarusSilver-Spotted Skipper
  • Glaucopsyche lygdamusSilvery Blue
  • Ostrinia penitalisAmerican Lotus Borer, Lily Moth
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
1Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Lotus

  • Megachile melanophaea
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Lotus

  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
  • Cyrtonyx montezumaeMontezuma Quail
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Fabaceae
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Birds Foot Trefoil; Common Bird's foot trefoil; Eggs And Bacon

Conservation status

Alabama rankSNA
Global rankGNR
AL statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources