Sweet Clover, Summer Memories, and a Wildflower Bouquet

As the kids and I took a walk down our road to the lake, the intoxicating smell of sweet clover, vanilla mixed with fresh-cut hay, permeated the air. Late June in Minnesota is when the summer wildflowers awaken and adorn the sides of the roads, prairies, and edges of our 10,000+ lakes. On this particular day, my daughter started collecting wildflowers on the side of the road as we walked toward the lake. “Mom, I’m going to make you the most beautiful wildflower bouquet today.” As my daughter waded through the tall grass and wildflowers, she gathered:

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Black-eyed Susans,

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Prairie Fleabane,

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Tufted Vetch,

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Virginia Waterleaf,

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Yellow and White Sweet Clover,

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Ox-eye Daisies,

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Queen Anne’s Lace,

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and Red Clover.

Once we arrived at the lake, my son picked an exquisite American White Water Lily, also known as the Fragrant Water Lily, to add to the bouquet. Before long we had a beautiful wildflower bouquet of all different colors, textures, and scents waiting to adorn our kitchen table.

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My family has been picking wildflowers along the roadside on our walks for year. One thing that always comes to mind, when reminiscing of these ventures, is the smell of sweet clover. In fact, my children have learned to identify sweet clover when it emerges from the soil in the early spring. First, there is excitement at finding the plant itself, but then a serious race ensues to see who can pick and smell the first sweet clover leaves of the year. There is nothing like the smell of sweet clover, especially on a warm summer day like today.

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Years ago, as a teenager, I remember helping my boyfriend (who is now my husband) with his summer lawn mowing jobs. There was this particular spot in a yard that smelled especially sweet every time we would mow. Determined to identify the plant, ย I would stop and search high and low for the plant that smelled so sweet. Finally I found a plant that appeared to be a type of clover (three finely-toothed leaflets). After my job, I remember going home and telling my mother about this clover plant that had the most wonderful smell. She said “Oh, sweet clover! That was your great-grandpa’s favorite smell as well.” Little did my mother know, that my great-grandfather had actually written a journal entry about his memories of clover.

What I remember was that mother laid me in the shade at the edge of the field and cocked the hay as my father raked it. The smell of the Red Clover drying and the humming of the bees comes back vividly now as I write of this happening.

~Roy Falk

My mother’s aunt (who typed up my great-grandfather, Roy Falk’s, journals) noted how incredible my great-grandfather’s memory must have been to remember incidents that happened before he could even sit up on his own. I was also surprised, but I know it’s not unheard of. In fact, I remember one incident that happened when I was a baby in a walker. I was at a family friend’s house, and as I was wheeling around, the dog who lived at that house accidentally pushed me down the stairs in my walker. I was amazingly unharmed, but the memory of tumbling down those stairs and being terrified is still sharp in my mind. The sweet smell of the Red Clover and the buzzing of the bees must have had quite an impact on Great-Grandpa for him to recall this memory so well.

After reading Great-Grandpa’s journal entry, I was interested to see if there was a purpose of the clover being in the hay field. According the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR), clover was brought over to the United States from Europe in the 1600’s. It was used as a forage crop (to feed livestock) and as a cover crop (where it is used to keep weeds down and enrich the soil). Clover plants have very long tap roots that extend several feet below the top soil. This tap root brings nutrients such as nitrogen up to the top soil, nourishing nearby shallow-rooted plants. I wish I could have been sitting next to the field with Great-Grandpa, listening to the bees and smelling the hay and clover as it dried in the fields.

As I’m writing this, my husband and children are imploring me to accompany them on our daily walk. I think I’m ready to go out and smell the sweet clover again after sharing this story. I urge you to make your way outsideย and embark on a journey to look for some summer wildflowers. You may just come home with a beautiful bouquet, and if you’re lucky, you’ll catch the scent of vanilla and fresh-cut hay drifting the air.

 

 

 

14 Replies to “Sweet Clover, Summer Memories, and a Wildflower Bouquet”

  1. Beautiful article..and beautiful bouquet. ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Unbound Roots says: Reply

      Thank you so very much for your sentiments, and thank you for reading!!!

  2. Thank you for putting our family stories into memorable writingsโ˜บ

    1. Unbound Roots says: Reply

      It truly is my pleasure! I thoroughly enjoy it. Thanks so much for reading and commenting!!!

  3. A joy to see that the children enjoy the beauty of nature that surrounds them every day ๐ŸŒป๐ŸŒผ

    1. Unbound Roots says: Reply

      That’s for sure! ๐Ÿ™‚

  4. angelanoelauthor says: Reply

    Hello! I just found your blog and enjoyed reading all about the delights of wildflowers and the joy of the outdoors.

  5. nice

  6. Beautiful words and photos!

    1. Unbound Roots says: Reply

      Thank you for your kind comments, Ruth! And, thanks so much for reading!!!

  7. We all need to make more time for the simple pleasures in life. Lovely blog. ๐Ÿ™‚

    1. Marje, isn’t that the truth! Thank you so very much for you kind words, and for reading! ๐Ÿ™‚

  8. I love that Great Grandpa Falk talks about his experience as “a happening.” There’s something so interesting about that use of a simple word to describe the events of our lives, the important ones anyway. Seeing these wildflowers made me miss summer all the more–but I could almost smell the clover from your description.

    1. Your mention of sweet clover makes me yearn for spring, especially considering the weather we are experiencing. Sweet clover is easily one of my favorite summer smells.

      As far as Great Grandpa’s writing goes, much of it is “matter-of-fact,” which I love. It is simple, but wholesome. Somehow it makes me feel at home. I’ve never thought about how his writing style makes me feel, so thank you for your insight!

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