White Sweet Clover is a another plant brought to North America as a green manure for fields and as a forage crop for livestock. And it is another plant that quickly escaped cultivation, now growing in disturbed areas as a weed.
It can be a nuisance because the seeds can persist in the soil for several decades and remain viable.
But it is considered an excellent nectar plant by beekeepers, especially for Honey Bees.
Many kinds of insects feast on the nectar, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, beetles, and plant bugs. Short-tongued bees also collect and transfer its pollen.
Both the foliage and flowers are mildly fragrant. White Sweet Clover Melilotus alba blooms from early summer to fall.
