Suckling Hop Clover

Trifolium dubium

Found in roadsides, lawns, disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

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

Profile 65%

Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Usually moist

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At a glance

Life cycle: Annual
Leaves: Deciduous
Bloom: February to October

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Not yet recorded · Height · Spread

Recorded in 64 Virginia 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

116CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Trifolium

Abaeis nicippeSleepy Orange, Sleepy Yellow, Erratic Orange
Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
Acrolophus arcanellaGrass Tubeworm Moth
Acrolophus moraDark Grass-Tubeworm
Acrolophus plumifrontellaEastern Grass Tubeworm
Acrolophus popeanellaClemen's Grass Tubeworm
Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm

Show all 116

Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
Agrotis volubilisVoluble Dart
Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Ancylis discigeranaYellow Birch Leaffolder Moth
Ancylis metamelanaBlack-Marked Ancylis, ?Clover Leaf Tier
Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
Anticarsia gemmatalisVelvetbean Caterpillar Moth
Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
Apantesis phalerataHarnessed Moth
Apantesis phylliraPhyllira Tiger Moth
Aristotelia roseosuffusellaPink-Washed Aristotelia
Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
Automeris ioIo Moth
Bleptina caradrinalisBent-Winged Owlet, Variable Snout
Caenurgina crassiusculaForage Looper Moth, Clover Looper, Range Grass Moth
Caenurgina erechteaClover Looper Moth, Common Grass Moth, Forage Looper
Cecropterus bathyllusSouthern Cloudywing
Cecropterus pyladesNorthern Cloudywing
Celypha nr.Celypha Moth
Choephora fungorumBent-Line Dart
Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
Coelostathma discopunctanaThe Batman Moth
Colias eurythemeOrange Sulphur, Alfalfa Butterfly
Colias philodiceClouded Sulphur, Clover Butterfly
Cupido comyntasEastern Tailed-Blue
Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
Dasylophia anguinaBlack-Spotted Prominent
Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
Elaphria grataGrateful Midget
Erastria colorariaBroad-Lined Erastria
Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
Euclidia cuspideaToothed Somberwing
Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
Euxoa messoriaReaper Dart, Darksided Cutworm, Dark-Sided Cutworm
Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Feltia manifestaAdobe Dart, Obvious
Feltia subgothicaSubgothic Dart
Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
Grapholita interstinctanaClover Seed Caterpillar
Haematopis gratariaChickweed Geometer
Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
Hemeroplanis scopulepesVariable Tropic
Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
Hydraecia immanisHop Borer, Hop Vine Borer
Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Hyppa xylinoidesCommon Hyppa
Idaea furciferataNotch-Winged Wave
Idaea obfusariaRippled Wave
Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
Lacinipolia explicataExplicit Groundcat, Explicit Arches
Lacinipolia loreaBridled Arches, Bridle Groundcat
Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
Lacinipolia olivaceaOlive Arches, Olive Groundcat
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Lacinipolia vicinaAllied Mamestra, Neighborly Arches
Lobocleta ossulariaDrab Brown Wave
Macrochilo litophoraAngulate Fan-Foot, Brown-Lined Owlet
Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
Ochropleura implectaAmerican Flame-Shouldered Dart
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Phalaenostola larentioidesBlack-Banded Owlet, Black-Banded Phalaenostola
Phoebis sennaeCloudless Sulphur
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
Protolampra brunneicollisBrown-Collared Dart
Pyrisitia lisaLittle Yellow, Little Sulphur, Lisa Yellow
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
Renia factiosalisSociable Renia, Undulate Renia, Dark-Banded Renia
Schinia jaguarinaJaguar Flower Moth
Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
Spaelotis clandestinaClandestine Dart, W-Marked Cutworm
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Sparganothis unifascianaOne-Lined Sparganothis
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Spodoptera dolichosSweetpotato Armyworm, Dolichos Armyworm, Large Cotton Armyworm
Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Trichopolia oviducaRuddy Quaker
Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
Xanthorhoe ferrugataRed Twin-Spot, Twin-Spot Carpet
Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Zeiraphera claypoleanaBuckeye Petiole Borer
Aproaerema palpilineella
Xenotemna pallorana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

—BeesSoutheastern regional records

2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Trifolium

Calliopsis micheneri
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

24BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Ammospiza leconteiiLeConte's Sparrow
Anser caerulescensSnow Goose
Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Branta canadensisCanada Goose
Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse

Show all 24

Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
Lagopus lagopusWillow Ptarmigan
Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
Oreortyx pictusMountain Quail
Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
Perdix perdixGray Partridge
Pipilo maculatusSpotted Towhee
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
Zonotrichia atricapillaGolden-crowned Sparrow
Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow

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
Hardiness: Zones 8a–9b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Brown/copper or yellow

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “February to October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Brown/copper or yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Hardiness · “Zones 8a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Annual” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Also known as

Least Hop Clover

Conservation status

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

Conservation source Global and federal source

Native alternatives

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