Introduced and assessed as invasive in the lower 48 states
iNaturalist's volunteer curators list it as introduced in their Ohio checklist.
US-RIIS assesses a species as invasive when it causes, or is likely to cause, harm there, or is at least locally abundant and harmful ecologically, economically, or to health.
Season shown in 6 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio
No result yet (15)
Recorded, too few records for a result (60)
Recorded, season not shown (7)
Season shown (6)
Boundaries: U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Cartographic Boundary Files, 1:500,000. Show as a table
Counties as a table
bird's-foot trefoil by Ohio county: records and mapped range
County
Records
Adams County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Allen County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ashland County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ashtabula County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Athens County
25 · Recorded, season not shown
Auglaize County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Belmont County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Brown County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Butler County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Carroll County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Champaign County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Clark County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Clermont County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Clinton County
No qualifying records yet
Columbiana County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Coshocton County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Crawford County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Cuyahoga County
90 · Season shown
Darke County
No qualifying records yet
Defiance County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Delaware County
51 · Season shown
Erie County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Fairfield County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Fayette County
No qualifying records yet
Franklin County
95 · Season shown
Fulton County
No qualifying records yet
Gallia County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Geauga County
23 · Recorded, season not shown
Greene County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Guernsey County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Hamilton County
58 · Season shown
Hancock County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Hardin County
No qualifying records yet
Harrison County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Henry County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Highland County
No qualifying records yet
Hocking County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Holmes County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Huron County
No qualifying records yet
Jackson County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Jefferson County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Knox County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Lake County
39 · Recorded, season not shown
Lawrence County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Licking County
26 · Recorded, season not shown
Logan County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Lorain County
43 · Season shown
Lucas County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Madison County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Mahoning County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Marion County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Medina County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Meigs County
No qualifying records yet
Mercer County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Miami County
No qualifying records yet
Monroe County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Montgomery County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Morgan County
No qualifying records yet
Morrow County
No qualifying records yet
Muskingum County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Noble County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ottawa County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Paulding County
No qualifying records yet
Perry County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Pickaway County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Pike County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Portage County
20 · Recorded, season not shown
Preble County
No qualifying records yet
Putnam County
No qualifying records yet
Richland County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Ross County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Sandusky County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Scioto County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Seneca County
No qualifying records yet
Shelby County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Stark County
37 · Recorded, season not shown
Summit County
162 · Season shown
Trumbull County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Tuscarawas County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Union County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Van Wert County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Vinton County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Warren County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Washington County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Wayne County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Williams County
Recorded, too few records for a result
Wood County
33 · Recorded, season not shown
Wyandot County
Recorded, too few records for a result
No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.
Season
When it is recorded
In Lorain County
Mid-May to early August, middle week Jun 21–27
Middle week · Jun 21–27
This week · Nov 8–14
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Show over the bars
Recording in Lorain County · records of all species each week, 26,475 in all
Records per week from 43 records in 8 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.
Recorded on 37 dates. Latest record: June 2025.
Show as a table
Records of bird's-foot trefoil in Lorain County each week, and records of all species
Week
Records of bird's-foot trefoil
Years recorded
Records of all species
Jan 4–10
0
0
193
Jan 11–17
0
0
115
Jan 18–24
0
0
75
Jan 25–31
0
0
59
Feb 1–7
0
0
101
Feb 8–14
0
0
99
Feb 15–21
0
0
84
Feb 22–28
0
0
49
Mar 1–7
0
0
114
Mar 8–14
0
0
103
Mar 15–21
0
0
258
Mar 22–28
0
0
139
Mar 29 – Apr 4
0
0
228
Apr 5–11
0
0
376
Apr 12–18
0
0
561
Apr 19–25
0
0
560
Apr 26 – May 2
0
0
1,122
May 3–9
1
1
824
May 10–16
0
0
793
May 17–23
4
3
901
May 24–30
0
0
886
May 31 – Jun 6
7
4
771
Jun 7–13
4
4
797
Jun 14–20
5
3
1,124
Jun 21–27
1
1
954
Jun 28 – Jul 4
6
4
770
Jul 5–11
2
2
973
Jul 12–18
2
1
957
Jul 19–25
3
2
1,240
Jul 26 – Aug 1
2
2
912
Aug 2–8
4
2
907
Aug 9–15
1
1
769
Aug 16–22
0
0
768
Aug 23–29
0
0
788
Aug 30 – Sep 5
1
1
959
Sep 6–12
0
0
907
Sep 13–19
0
0
817
Sep 20–26
0
0
745
Sep 27 – Oct 3
0
0
508
Oct 4–10
0
0
597
Oct 11–17
0
0
343
Oct 18–24
0
0
426
Oct 25–31
0
0
297
Nov 1–7
0
0
278
Nov 8–14
0
0
210
Nov 15–21
0
0
121
Nov 22–28
0
0
100
Nov 29 – Dec 5
0
0
118
Dec 6–12
0
0
60
Dec 13–19
0
0
224
Dec 20–26
0
0
187
Dec 27 – Jan 2
0
0
208
Reported in flower
Only 12 records here show flowers, too few to show a flowering season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
Reported in fruit
No records here show fruit yet, so there is no fruiting season to show. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
In Ohio
Mid-May to mid-September, middle week Jun 28 – Jul 4
Middle week · Jun 28 – Jul 4
This week · Nov 8–14
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Show over the bars
Recording in Ohio · records of all species each week, 1,691,199 in all
Records per week from 1,290 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.
Recorded on 697 dates. Latest record: October 2025.
Show as a table
Records of bird's-foot trefoil in Ohio each week, and records of all species
Week
Records of bird's-foot trefoil
Years recorded
Records of all species
Jan 4–10
0
0
6,211
Jan 11–17
0
0
5,146
Jan 18–24
0
0
4,645
Jan 25–31
0
0
4,698
Feb 1–7
1
1
6,023
Feb 8–14
1
1
5,888
Feb 15–21
0
0
5,436
Feb 22–28
0
0
6,846
Mar 1–7
1
1
8,321
Mar 8–14
0
0
10,384
Mar 15–21
0
0
12,620
Mar 22–28
1
1
13,949
Mar 29 – Apr 4
2
2
19,661
Apr 5–11
1
1
26,860
Apr 12–18
3
3
39,925
Apr 19–25
1
1
41,623
Apr 26 – May 2
8
4
56,391
May 3–9
4
3
52,952
May 10–16
7
4
53,785
May 17–23
35
6
57,698
May 24–30
55
8
54,651
May 31 – Jun 6
96
10
53,099
Jun 7–13
141
9
53,700
Jun 14–20
127
9
56,625
Jun 21–27
100
10
55,361
Jun 28 – Jul 4
117
10
58,477
Jul 5–11
69
10
61,336
Jul 12–18
84
9
64,722
Jul 19–25
57
10
69,753
Jul 26 – Aug 1
58
10
59,416
Aug 2–8
76
8
59,712
Aug 9–15
37
9
55,994
Aug 16–22
39
9
54,328
Aug 23–29
30
7
51,772
Aug 30 – Sep 5
40
8
57,167
Sep 6–12
33
9
59,075
Sep 13–19
22
6
54,543
Sep 20–26
14
5
45,860
Sep 27 – Oct 3
9
4
43,180
Oct 4–10
9
5
37,841
Oct 11–17
4
3
30,824
Oct 18–24
4
4
21,156
Oct 25–31
2
1
19,021
Nov 1–7
1
1
14,172
Nov 8–14
1
1
12,621
Nov 15–21
0
0
7,965
Nov 22–28
0
0
8,136
Nov 29 – Dec 5
0
0
6,083
Dec 6–12
0
0
6,004
Dec 13–19
0
0
5,423
Dec 20–26
0
0
5,661
Dec 27 – Jan 2
0
0
8,459
Reported in flower
Usually reported in flower late May to mid-September, middle week Jun 28 – Jul 4.
From 276 records that show flowers. Not every photo of a plant in flower is marked as flowering, so this shows when people reported it in flower, not when it flowers.
Reported in fruit
Only 17 records here show fruit, too few to show a fruiting season. One needs at least 20 records from 5 different years.
What these results show
These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.
Identification
How to identify it
Telling it apart
From what Ohio’s records show. Only what the records support is shown.
narrow-leaf bird's-foot trefoilLotus tenuisOften confused in Ohio: 66 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
Black MedickMedicago lupulina116 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
Lesser hop trefoilTrifolium dubium70 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
AlfalfaMedicago sativa35 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
Yellow SweetcloverMelilotus officinalis26 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.
Months not reported
Jan: no record
Feb: recorded
Mar: recorded
Apr: recorded
May: recorded
Jun: recorded
Jul: recorded
Aug: recorded
Sep: recorded
Oct: recorded
Nov: recorded
Dec: no record
Not reported in Ohio in December to January, 2016 to 2025.
Land cover where it is recorded
Land cover
Its recordsAll Ohio records
Developed
64%49%
Farmland
17%11%
Forest
11%31%
Wetland
4%5%
Grassland and shrub
2%0.9%
Barren
2%0.6%
Open water
1%3%
From 792 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
Where these results come from
Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.
