News and Stories

Plant Scientists at the Lindner Center for Research and Conservation of Endangered Wildlife (CREW) have been working to restore Trifolium kentuckiense, a critically imperiled clover species also known as the Kentucky Clover. CREW is currently partnered with the Zoo’s Bowyer Farm, Kentucky Nature Preserves, and U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to aid in restoring populations of this endangered plant.

Earlier this month, the Plant Division sent 179 tissue culture-grown plants to Bowyer. CREW has 21 different genetic lines of this species in culture and provides plants from each line to ensure a healthy population can be outplanted. The staff at Bowyer will continue to nurture them until are large enough for outplanting. Seeds will also be collected for banking in CREW’s CryoBioBank.

CREW Plant Division has worked with Kentucky Nature Preserves and USFWS to restore another endangered clover species, Trifolium stoloniferum, also known as Running Buffalo Clover. This clover was removed from the endangered species list in 2021!