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Index of Subjects When you talk about white clover I think of two kinds - one is a few inches high and seems to be a native plant, the other is two or three feet high, and I have only seen it in an area where someone has a bee hive. Which are we talking about here? Roland. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Wild Flora" <herself@wildflora.com> To: <naturens@chebucto.ns.ca> Sent: Sunday, June 24, 2007 1:12 PM Subject: RE: [NatureNS] bees and industrial white clover > Planting a white or "Dutch" clover lawn is probably one of the best things > you can do for honeybees. It is primarily pollinated by honeybees and is > probably the commercial crop most heavily used by honeybees worldwide, so > much so that "white clover honey" is a recognized type of honey, with > lighter colour and milder flavor than other honeys. (Whether it's the best > honey is a matter of taste--I prefer the darker honeys myself.) > > Just like honeybees, white clover isn't native to North America (it's from > Europe). Our native bees would probably prefer the plants they have > co-evolved with. That having been said, however, white clover has been in > North America for a long time and it appears that quite a lot of native > bees > and other wildlife have adapted to using it. Bumblebees and some other > native bees are quite fond of it, also bee flies, some butterflies, and > skippers. It's reported to be a larval food plant for the caterpillars of > several moths and butterflies including the clouded sulfur. (Judging from > the number of sulphurs I saw fluttering over my neighbour's pasture when > the > clover was blooming last summer, I'd say that must be true.) White clover > is > also eaten by ruffed Grouse, ring-necked pheasant, some songbirds, some > small mammals, and white-tailed deer. (Some strains contain a glycoside > that > can be poisonous if a grazing animal eats too much, but evidently they > have > to eat an awful lot before they experience any ill effects.) > > The only harm to bees that I'm aware of is when flowering clover attracts > them to an area where pesticides are going to be used. This is a > recognized > problem in nonorganic apple orchards, where white clover is often regarded > as a weed. > > The biggest concern about white clover from a gardener's point of view is > that it does tend to be spread quite aggressively both by seed and by > runners. The seed can persist for years in soil, so getting rid of it once > you've planted it is very difficult. > > One possible problem is that selection and breeding of white clover are > constantly producing new strains, particularly ones that are more > winter-hardy, and whenever a new cultivar is introduced there is always a > risk that some quality needed by pollinators will have been lost. However, > I'm not aware of any reports of cultivars of white clover that have lost > the > ability to support pollinators. > > In short, if you want a lawn, are fond of bees, and don't mind using > nonnative plants, white clover is probably an excellent choice. > > Wild Flora > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.472 / Virus Database: 269.9.6/865 - Release Date: 6/24/2007 > 8:33 AM >
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