Sulphur Clover Trifolium ochroleucon

In bright sun in June or July, sulphur clover lives up to its name, with vivid flowers that are larger than the common white and red clovers. As the seeds ripen, the flowers fade to brownish orange and once you know what you are looking for, the leaves can be spotted for most of the year. Just like other clovers, they are 'trifoliate', meaning the leaves are split into three parts, but unlike other British clovers, they are grey-green and downy to the touch.

Sulphur clover likes to grow on the chalky boulder-clays, formed by moving glaciers during the last ice age. This geology has formed the Claylands landscape typical of South Norfolk and Suffolk. It is also found on a few outcrops of chalk soils in North Norfolk. Wherever it grows, it is a clue to the location of old meadows and commons that were once cut for hay or grazed by farm animals.
In South Norfolk, sulphur clover is mostly found on a series of Roadside Nature Reserves, cared for by Norfolk County Council.

The summer months of June and July are best for seeing the pale yellow flowers of Sulphur clover.  In autumn, the flowers are orange. However, its leaves can be recognised all year round.

• Norfolk Wildlife Trust - In praise of sulphur clover
• Plantlife - Sulphur clover
• Trifolium ochroleucon | Online Atlas of the British and Irish Flora (brc.ac.uk)
• BSBI News & Views: Wildflower of the Month: July: Sulphur Clover (bsbipublicity.blogspot.com)

The best way to help sulphur clover is to support conservation organisations, such as Norfolk Wildlife Trust with their conservation projects – particularly green hay projects.  You could volunteer to survey plants or restore habitats as part of the Wilder Connections project, for example.