When Paul Thomas was 10 years old, his grandmother told him a
secret.

“She taught me how to find a four-leaf clover,” said the
horticulturist with the
University of Georgia Extension Service. “Her techniques on how
to collect them have
been passed down from generation to generation. It’s great fun
to do.”

In fact, Thomas has two methods. The first one involves a
trained eye.

Clovers have a slight white line in the heart of each leaf.
Viewed from above, the white
lines on the leaves of a three-leaf clover form a triangle. The
lines on a four-leaf clover
form a square. This technique works best on frequently mowed
patches of clover.

“Just stand over a patch of clovers and tell your eyes to look
for squares only,” he said.
“You can scan large areas quickly. After a bit of practice,
squares start jumping out at
you.”

The second method is based on the fact that four-leaf clover
stems are more vigorous
than three-leaf stems. The stems are thicker so they respond
differently to slight
bending.

“Brush over an unmowed colony of clover with the flat of your
hand,” he said. “The
three-leaf clovers will swing up slowly while the four-leaf
clovers will spring up right
behind your hand. Try it. You’ll be surprised how well it
works.”

Four-leaf clovers started popping up around the end of February,
with the highest
populations in May and June. They’ll stay around until the end
of July. A few pop up
again in October.

“Four-leaf clovers are probably a genetic variation,” Thomas
said. “But they’re also
sensitive to stress. Clover thrives in cool, wet conditions. But
not in Georgia’s summer
heat. Four-leaf clovers are commonly found where clover grows
best.”

Nobody knows what the fourth leaf is for, Thomas said. Maybe
it’s just for luck.