Alsike Clover / Trifolium hybridum

A quick shot of this Alsike Clover, taken while I was watching a family of Eastern Kingbirds yesterday afternoon.

"Trifolium hybridum, the alsike clover,[3] is a plant species of the genus Trifolium in the pea family Fabaceae. The stalked, pale pink or whitish flower head grows from the leaf axils, and the trifoliate leaves are unmarked. The plant is up to 40 centimetres (1.3 ft) tall, and is found in fields and on roadsides – it is also grown as fodder (hay or silage). Originated in mainland Europe.

Despite its scientific name, alsike clover is not of hybrid origin. The plant gets its common name from the town of Alsike in Sweden from which Linnaeus first described it. He thought it was a cross between white clover (T. repens) and red clover (T. pratense), but in this he was mistaken and it is a separate species." From Wikipedia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trifolium_hybridum

"Alsike clover, in either hay or pasture form, is poisonous to horses. It can trigger a severe skin reaction to sunlight or it can kill horses within 24 hours of exposure.

The alsike clover plant contains a toxin, thought to be an alkaloid, which damages liver cells. It is also called big liver disease because the liver swells in size.

Prolonged exposure to the alsike clover toxin ultimately results in liver cirrhosis, the same severe liver scarring that occurs in people who drink large amounts of alcohol." From The Western Producer.

www.producer.com/2004/09/alsike-clover-can-be-deadly-to-h...

What a huge storm we had last night - so much lightning and thunder and rain. After the serious hailstorm that hit the city the day before, and which I missed because I was out of the city photographing birds, I thought I would go for a short drive to my 'usual' area. There is a risk for a thunderstorm developing this afternoon and the same for tomorrow. Our temperature is only 17C as I type (at 11:15 am).

How is it that one of my favourite pairs of Mountain Bluebirds is good at seeing and catching Tiger Moths? Two years ago, the male of this pair also caught a Tiger Moth and gave me the chance to take a shot or two (seen in a comment box below the last photo posted this morning). I have only ever once seen a Tiger moth species, and it was unlike the ones in these two photos. They really are beautiful. I wonder if they taste as good as they look : ) I am always thankful when the Bluebirds are active, though before too long, their babies will have fledged and all will have disappeared.

I was happy to find a few different birds, including a family of Eastern Kingbirds, a Cedar Waxwing, a Bald Eagle, Red-winged Blackbird, and a very distant Great Blue Heron standing at the far edge of a pond.