How to find four-leaf clovers, explained by someone who finds over 1,000
A genetic mutation gives white clover four leaflets occasionally, and Helen McHugh has found over 1,000.
Four-leaf clovers really do exist. Clovers naturally grow with three leaflets, but a genetic blip occasionally produces four.
Helen McHugh, assistant director of the Australian National Botanic Gardens, has found more than 1,000 in her lifetime and even found 70 in a single day as a teenager. The trick starts with picking the right plant: white clover with its white flowers and white lines across typically each leaf.
Look down at a patch and scan rather than stare at individual leaves. On a three-leaf clover, the white lines form a triangle.
On a four-leaf clover, they form a square or diamond. Once your eyes learn the shape, they can spot it almost without thinking.
- more than 1,000
- Lifetime total
- 70 as a teenager
- Single day record
- Trifolium repens (white clover)
- Focus species
- square or diamond
- Pattern shape
Why it mattersFour-leaf clovers are rare enough to feel special but findable with the right technique. Knowing how to search turns a frustrating myth into a real skill.
AustraliaAustralians searching parks and school ovals can now apply this technique to find what they've been missing. White clover is common across grassed areas nationwide.
Corroborated bytheage.com.au·watoday.com.au
✓ Claims checked against the source. checked 6 d ago
