''Desmodium canadense'' is a species of flowering plant in the
legume
A legume () is a plant in the family Fabaceae (or Leguminosae), or the fruit or seed of such a plant. When used as a dry grain, the seed is also called a pulse. Legumes are grown agriculturally, primarily for human consumption, for livestock f ...
. It is native to eastern North America. Its common names include showy tick-trefoil, Canadian tick-trefoil, and Canada tickclover.
The plant is a perennial herb and 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
Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...
such as the
eastern tailed-blue
The eastern tailed-blue or eastern tailed blue (''Cupido comyntas''), also known as ''Everes comyntas'',silver-spotted skipper, and hoary edge. The plant attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. Flowers are pea-shaped, pink to purple in color, and bloom between July to September.