Showy Tick Trefoil
Slender-stemmed, bushy plant, approximately 3 feet tall. It has crowded, terminal clusters of pinkish purple flowers. Hairs cover the stems and leaves. The seedpods (loments) are flat with 3-5 segments, and they are covered with hooked hairs, which are easily picked up and distributed by passing animals. The blooming period occurs mid-summer and lasts for about 3 weeks.
''Desmodium canadense'' is a species of flowering plant in the legume family, Fabaceae. It is native to eastern North America. Its common names include showy tick-trefoil, Canadian tick-trefoil, and Canada tickclover.
The plant grows in woods, prairies, and disturbed habitat, such as roadsides. It is cultivated as an ornamental plant. It is a larval host plant for butterflies such as the eastern tailed-blue, silver-spotted skipper, and hoary edge.
