Monday, May 02, 2011

I'm looking over

This flower is on what I think is a variety of trèfle (clover) out in the vineyard. These plants come in many shapes and sizes in addition to the iconic shamrock shape we associate with clover. I think all varieties of clover have a three-lobed leaf since its Latin name is trifolium, meaning "three" and "leaf." In French, les trèfles is what Americans call the suit of clubs in a deck of playing cards.

I'm not sure this is trèfle, so I'll go back out and take a closer look*.
Those are not trees in the background, they're grape vines.


The vineyard, as you may know, is a patchwork of parcels owned and worked by a number of different growers and winemakers. Each grower uses different methods. Some use pesticides, others use none. Some have employees that prune in the winter, others are out there by themselves or with their wives doing the pruning. Some mulch the pruned canes, others burn them. And some use herbicides to keep weeds down while others mow between the rows.

Just Friday I saw one of the growers out on his tractor spreading herbicide in his parcels, including the one near where I took this picture. I'll soon see whether or not this patch of trèfle was spared; it's just outside of the vine parcel.

* I did. It is.

7 comments:

  1. Great pic Walt... it is a red clover as you suspected.

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  2. Good luck little flower.
    m.

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  3. Great picture. The bloom looks a bit thistle-like.

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  4. Looks like clover to me -- but it's a great photo whatever it is!

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  5. Pretty flowers. You could have rescued it and re-planted in your yard.

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  6. rick, thanks!

    tim, yes, I went back and checked.

    mark, :)

    diogenes, I agree.

    betty, merci!

    starman, I didn't think of that!

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