Meadow Pea or Yellow Vetchling Lathyris pratensis

This pretty little bright-yellow flower is reasonably common in fields and along roads. The name "Meadow Pea" is not misleading; this plant is a member of the pea family, and related to the Vetches. Peas are a member of the group of plants known as "legumes"; this means that on their roots they harbor special bacteria which provide the nitrogen which is necessary to nourish the plant itself and which also improvesthe soil for other plants. Because of this ability, it is able to grow in poor, dry soils, with little else other than crabgrass growing around it.