31/08/2026
FORAGE FOCUS – Week 7 🌿
Red Clover (Trifolium pratense)
“The Pollinator Powerhouse”
After discovering White Clover in Week 2, this week we are meeting its taller, bolder cousin - Red Clover.
You may recognise its beautiful pink-purple flower heads, but there's much more to this plant than meets the eye.
Why is it special
Like White Clover, Red Clover is a legume and works with natural soil bacteria to fix nitrogen, helping to support soil fertility naturally. Its deeper roots also help it access nutrients and moisture further down in the soil.
Benefits for the Land
🌱 Naturally supports soil fertility
🌿 Adds valuable plant diversity
💧 Helps access moisture during drier conditions
🐝 Provides an important source of nectar for pollinators
🌍 Supports more resilient grassland
Why it matters for our pigs
Red Clover can be an excellent component of suitable grazing, providing palatable forage as part of a varied and balanced diet.
A pollinator favourite
Those tall flower heads are particularly attractive to bumblebees, whose longer tongues allow them to reach the nectar.
How to identify Red Clover
Upright plant with three broad leaflets, often marked with a pale crescent
Rounded clusters of pink, crimson or purplish flowers
Generally taller than White Clover, often reaching 30–60 cm.
Flowers from late spring through summer
Did you know
Red Clover has been cultivated as a valuable forage crop for centuries and is still widely recognised as an important plant for both agriculture and biodiversity.
Pasture Thought
Sometimes looking at two similar plants teaches us something new.
White Clover and Red Clover may share a family name, but each brings something different to the land.
Diversity is not just about having more plants — it is about having the right mix of plants working together benefitting our pigs and land so they both work in harmony.
Photo: Cotswold Seeds
