Clover is one of the hutch rabbits from Nuthanger Farm, a strong and active doe that joins the Watership Down Warren in the book, TV series, miniseries, and graphic novel.

In the book, she becomes mates with Holly. They have six children together, three bucks and three does, including Scabious. In the television series, she instead becomes Hawkbit's mate near the end of Season 3. Though she appears in Season 2 with two kits, it is unknown who her mate was at that time. In the miniseries, she becomes Hazel's mate as one of the two deuteragonists (alongside Fiver).

Personality

In the book, she is described as active and strong. She is the most proactive of the hutch rabbits to escape Nuthanger Farm. She adapts more readily to the wild than the other hutch rabbits, though she is still not as fast or perceptive as the wild rabbits.

Her personality isn't shown much in the film, as the hutch rabbits fail to escape, but she is curious and friendly towards Hazel.

In the TV series, Clover is a bit posh after she first escapes the hutch. By season three, however, she appears to have gotten used to being in the wild. She is irritated by Hawkbit and Dandelion fighting over Heather.

In the miniseries, she is a determined and brave doe. She fought Efrafa in the final battle after saying that if she dies in this battle, one or two of the Efrafans are coming with her, encouraging some of the does to join her in fighting. She attempts to bargain with General Woundwort in order to prevent Hyzenthlay from being executed. She is also friendly and curious as she was a hutch rabbit. She instinctively asks Hyzenthlay if she's okay and despite having a rude response, she still is nice to Hyzenthlay.

Novels

Watership Down

In the book, Clover (along with Laurel) is described as a short-haired black Angora. She, Haystack, and Boxwood escape from the farm with Hazel, Bigwig, Dandelion, Hawkbit, Speedwell, and Blackberry to Watership Down. She is described as more robust and less timid than the other hutch rabbits, but still takes some time to adjust to living in the wild and prefers to stay near the warren. Eventually, she becomes mates with Holly and provides the Watership Down warren with its first litter, three does and three bucks, one of which is named Scabious.

Tales from Watership Down

Clover does not make a direct appearance, but can be assumed to still be living on Watership Down. Two more of her descendants are named: Melsa and Sandwort.

Film

In the film, Clover is a white rabbit, with a bright white underbelly and red eyes, presumably an albino. Clover is the first to greet Hazel when he introduces himself. She asks where he comes from, and Hazel tells her about life in the wild. Hazel invites Clover and her friends to join them, and Clover is surprised and asks how that's possible.

Later, Hazel returns to free the hutch rabbits, and Clover is delighted to see him. Though the other hutch rabbits are indecisive about trying to escape, Clover quickly agrees to go. She is the only one who leaves the hutch without further urging. Along with the rest of the hutch rabbits, however, Clover is quickly recaptured, resulting in her never being seen again.

TV series

Season 1

In this season, Clover has a minor role and few lines.

In "The Raid," Clover is introduced when Hazel goes to Nuthanger Farm to find more rabbits to join Watership Down. Clover is less timid than the other hutch rabbits. Surprised to see a wild rabbit, Clover asks Hazel what he’s doing out of a cage. Hazel starts gnawing at the door of the hutch and tells the hutch rabbits to be ready to run. Clover is the only hutch rabbit who wants to to escape with Hazel, though she is very afraid of the cat. As she escapes with Fiver and Pipkin, she remarks that she finds Hazel awfully bossy. Nonetheless, she is horrified when Hazel is shot and tells Fiver that she hopes he’s all right.

When Fiver brings back Hazel alive, Clover says to Hazel that she never thought she’d live outside, and he replies that he’s glad she has the chance. When he says that he’s sorry her friends couldn’t leave with her, she reassures him that they’re happy in the hutch.

In "The Vision," she appears in the background helping carry supplies.

Season 2

In this season, she continues to play a more minor role.

In "The Roundabout," when Pipkin is annoyed by being the youngest of the rabbits, Clover comforts him by petting him like an animal and saying he will be big one day before mentioning she should clean his fur.

In "The Mysterious Visitors," she remarks that she doesn't care for spring because it messes up her fur. When Pipkin steals her carrot to give to Raincloud and Bluesky, she also says that young bucks become "wonky" during the spring.

In "The Homecoming," she is seen with several kittens after Campion arrives on Watership Down for the first time, but it is unknown who the father is. One of them says "mother," implying these are her kittens. She is later seen close to Blackavar in the warren, suggesting that he may be her mate, though later in the third season Clover ends up with Hawkbit instead.

She is last seen helping dig the rock loose to collapse the caverns with Blackberry, Hawkbit, Primrose, and Pipkin. When Hawkbit says he thinks the rocks moved, she tells him to stop being such a dither.

Season 3

In season three, Clover remains a minor character but appears more often, becoming the love interest of Hawkbit.

In "A New World," she is seen in the warren after Woundwort's defeat sleeping with Hawkbit and running with him until they are interrupted by a former Efrafan slave. Clover asks Hawkbit if he wants to nibble dandelion leaves with her, but he turns her down and runs off to bite Dandelion's tail and flirt with Heather.

In "The Nestling," she and Blackberry come across a fresh footprint of Campion (who they think is dead), and Clover tells her that it can't be a fresh footprint. Pipkin agrees with this, but only to cover up the truth that Campion is truly alive because Campion made him swear to secrecy.

In "The Beginning of the End," she is seen carrying flay-rah into the warren with Silverweed and Yona, and teasing Hawkbit, who asks her if she wants to be his mate, about a group of voles following him, while rolling a rock to the battle field and helping with setting up the boulders for the boulder-rollers.

At the end of the episode, she finally settles down and becomes (implied) mates with Hawkbit, both of whom think that the next day will be the last day they are alive.

In "The Magic," she is seen with Hawkbit, who asks her what she is going to be doing after the war. She replies saying whatever he's doing and she calls him "handsome," implying that they are indeed a couple now.

Miniseries

Clover appears in the miniseries. She serves as Hazel's love interest and eventual mate. In this adaptation, Clover and Haystack are the only hutch rabbits to escape and make it to Watership Down. She is more of a main character than the other adaptations.

"The Journey"

While Hazel, Fiver, Bigwig and the others are going to the Down, Hazel sees Clover in a hutch.

"The Raid"

Hazel, Fiver, and Bigwig go to raid the farm. Hazel and Clover talk while Hazel tries to get Clover out. They introduce themselves, and Clover is amazed to meet a wild rabbit. Hazel tells her that he’s come to break her free. Clover tells him to be careful because sometimes the humans come out to gather firewood at that time. She explains to him how to open the hutch and he starts gnawing at the leather hinges. Clover says that she always dreamed of seeing the sky and being able to run, and Hazel promises to free her. They discuss their opinions of humans, with Clover's being much more favorable. When Bigwig is attacked by Puss, Clover tells Hazel to go and that she'll be fine.

Later, the hutch is moved into the greenhouse, and Hazel returns that night to free her. When she notices Hazel, she makes a remark telling him that he just doesn't stop. She explains to Hazel how Mrs. Cane put pieces of metal in to hold the hutch shut. Hazel opens the hutch, and Clover and the other does try to leave but end up being chased through the house and out a window by Puss. On the roof of the greenhouse, Clover slips and begins to slide down the glass, but Hazel saves her. When they are crossing the road out of the farmyard, Mr. Cane shoots at them, and Hazel runs out into the open to distract him from Clover. He successfully saves Clover but is shot in the leg in the process. Clover wants to go back to look for him, but Bigwig convinces her to go back to the Down by saying Hazel had risked his life to free her and she shouldn’t throw that away. When Fiver blames himself, Clover comforts him, saying that he's not at fault tonight, only the farmer is. She reflects that Holly was right about the evil of humans.

"The Escape"

Clover joins the bickering. When Fiver tells everyone he found Hazel, Clover asks where Hazel is. After finding out his location, Clover says she'll go find him. Holly stops her, saying that two days ago she was in a hutch. During the bickering, Clover leaves and looks for Hazel, despite the fog she successfully finds him in a pipe near the farm. She then hears Bigwig calling out for her and goes to find him, she sees a silhouette, thinking it's Bigwig's she approached it, only to be captured by a Efrafan Wide Patrol with Sainfoin and a unnamed rabbit.

Clover is taken to Efrafa, where she meets Hyzenthlay. Clover asks her if she's alright and if she should tell someone but Hyzenthlay just coldly replies. Hyzenthlay is at first distrustful of her and believes her to be a spy.

At silflay, Clover greets Hyzenthlay, Thethuthinnang and Nettle. Hyzenthlay, again, replied coldly. Clover tried to get a guard to move them elsewhere as they're hot in the sun just to be hit. Thethuthinnang tells Clover it was worth a shot but Nettle tells the other doe not to talk to Clover. Clover tries to convince Hyzenthlay she isn't a spy. Clover fearfully looks at General Woundwort after he came up from the warren.

Clover is brought to Woundwort's burrow where he tries to seduce her into becoming his "queen." After getting dismissed she returns to silflay. Bigwig sees Clover and joins her in silflay. Clover and Bigwig talk, pretending to eat, Bigwig explains that he will try and break the does out. Clover tells Bigwig if they convince Hyzenthlay the other does will follow the plan, Bigwig tells Clover to leave Hyzenthlay to him.

Later, Clover, Hyzenthlay and the other does are digging an escape tunnel. Hyzenthlay tells Clover that she'll take over for her and calls her sister while digging. The plan fails and the does are taken to the deep burrows when Campion doesn't fully believe Bigwig's lie.

The next day, Clover talks to Hyzenthlay and suggests there might be a spy amongst the does but Hyzenthlay brushes her off, saying she knows the does and that they're her sisters, her family. Clover tries to tell the does that there's still hope when they're arguing about escaping.

When Hyzenthlay is taken to Captain Orchis, Clover demands to a guard that she be taken to Woundwort, and after hearing that Clover is the one that Woundwort likes, he finally does. Clover goes to make a deal with Woundwort, stating that she'll consider becoming his queen if he lets Hyzenthlay live. He rejects her, saying that he doesn't make bargains.

While Thethuthinnang sings, Clover joins the singing and cornering a guard. When Bigwig kills the same guard, Clover is surprised when Hyzenthlay isn't yet executed and stares up at them in hope. They are led out of the warren by Bigwig successfully, and Hazel and Clover reunite in the storm.

"The Siege"

At the human town, Clover tells Hazel to speak from his heart. Back at Watership Down, Clover nuzzles Hazel during silflay. Later on, during the last battle, Clover fearlessly tells the does that if she dies during the battle there'll be one or two Efrafans coming with her. Later, Clover is seen with Bluebell, telling him to be careful when he kicks one of the Efrafan guards. Clover tells Hazel that the Efrafans are opening entrances everywhere and they can't be held off. After the Efrafans start coming into the Honeycomb, Clover confesses to Hazel that she loves him with Hazel replying she didn't have to and they embrace.

Clover then has one last look at Hazel before going with the others behind the burrow.

After the battle, Clover is amongst those who greet Fiver after his presumed death and is implied mates with Hazel. As years go by, a now elderly Clover is with Hazel and they talk, Clover tells him not to fall asleep outside again before leaving. Later, Clover is seen next to Strawberry and Bigwig as Bluebell tells a story to the kits.

Quotes

Book

Miniseries

Trivia

• Although Clover is mentioned as a black Angora doe in the novel and depicted as such in the graphic novel, she's not depicted as one in any of the animated adaptations.
• In the miniseries, Clover was originally designed to have her have white or gray fur like in the animated film to set her apart more from the wild ones, but in the end she and the other hutch rabbits only got cleaner fur grooms than the wild ones while staying similar colors. This idea was scrapped and she was given a calico pelt in the end.
• The miniseries' decision to make Clover rescue Hazel instead of Fiver received massive criticism by the fandom. The creative decisions made surrounding Clover's role is often mentioned by many fans as to why they are not fond of the miniseries.

Etymology

• The name "Clover" comes from the plant. A clover is a pea family herbaceous plant with dense, rounded flower heads and green leaves that are typically three-lobed. They bloom magenta or white flowers.

Gallery

Main page: Clover/Image Gallery