“Purple Prairie Clover, a Sprite of Plain Revery”

I smile every time purple prairie clover graces me with a wave and a smile of its own. Swaying in the breeze with other prairie grasses, it is a member of the legume family with a large taproot and nitrogen-fixing characteristics. They help with erosion control in restoration efforts, and are both nutritious and hardy perennials. Flower heads are cylindrical spikes packed with tiny, purple flowers and orange stamens atop spires with narrow pinnate leaves. Blooming time is from late spring to early autumn, attracting all kinds of bees and butterflies with its nectar. Birds and small mammals eat the seeds. It might even volunteer in a sunny spot in your garden!

These flowers were historically used by Indigenous people to treat cardiovascular disease (leaves and blossoms), diarrhea (leaves and blossoms), measles (roots), and stomach aches.

Clover is accompanied by the Dakota Skipper butterfly and some bees in appreciation of the partnership between prairie plants and pollinators.

Original mixed media on raw stretched canvas with maple float frame.