Common Bird's-foot-trefoil

Lotus corniculatus

Found in fields, roadsides, and waste places. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

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

Profile 82%

Height: About 2.4 feet
Light: Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

See native alternatives

Lotus corniculatus — flower photograph — (c) Tom Scavo, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

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Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Blue, yellow, purple or red.
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At a glance

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

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 40 Virginia counties.

Habitats

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground.

Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there. All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

10CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · 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
Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
Ostrinia penitalisAmerican Lotus Borer, Lily Moth
Sparganothis xanthoidesMosaic Sparganothis
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

Bloom · “June to September” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “About 2.4 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Minnesota Wildflowers
Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia

Also known as

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

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	GNR
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source