4 Leaf Clover

(Click photo to enlarge)
In my continuing quest to illuminate the 'Truth' about
the legends associated with Holidays, here's a look at
the Luck of the Irish, a few weeks late for St. Pat's Day.
(Look in the archives for other Holiday posts.)

Having never seen a 4-leaf clover growing wild, I was
skeptical about their very existence let alone any
ability to confer good luck upon someone who found one.

But that changed last week.

I needed a photo of clover for the Brookston Photoblog
Scavenger Hunt, but a dry winter in San Antonio and most
of Texas meant that brown grass and dry dirt were the norm;
wildflowers and even weeds were scarce.
Hours had been spent looking for patches of the stuff that
might lend themselves to interesting photos.
A small clump next to a creek with reflections of trees
on the water was my best find, but the plants were ratty
looking.
A nice setting but the clover was not photogenic at all.

As the light was fading I rolled the dice one last time
by searching my backyard yet again, hoping against the odds
that some had sprouted since the last search three days earlier.

Jackpot!
In the second small clump I looked at, there it was.

The Scavenger Hunt specified bonus points for a 4 leaf,
with even more for it still being in the wild.
So I can state with conviction that 4 leaf clovers can
be very lucky.
I got a photo to enter, with maximum bonus points.
But as subsequent testing confirmed, they are not Lottery-Lucky.

And in the spirit of catch-and-release fishing I left my
lucky clover where it was. No way am I going to tempt fate
by plucking that once in a lifetime find.
My hope is that it grows big and strong, attends an Ivy League
University on a curling scholarship, and becomes a research chemist
that cures cancer, wins the Nobel Prize and supports me in my old age.