- "I like it underground all right. The closed space is really very much like a hutch, except that it's darker. The difficult thing for us is going to be feeding in the open. We're not used to being free to go where we like and we don't know what to do. You all act so quickly and half the time I don't know why. I'd prefer not to feed very far from the hole, if you don't mind."
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. In the television series, she instead becomes Hawkbit's mate near the end of season three. In the miniseries, she becomes Hazel's mate as one of the two deuteragonists (alongside Fiver).
Personality[]
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 poshy after she first escapes the hutch. But by season three, she appears to have gotten used to being in the wild. She's irritated by Hawkbit and Dandelions fighting over Heather.
But 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 tells General Woundwort that she'll be his queen if he saves Hyzenthlay from getting executed. She is also friendly and curious as she was a hutch rabbit. She also 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 short-haired black Angoras. She and two other hutch rabbits escape from the farm with Hazel, Pipkin, and Blackberry to Watership Down. Eventually, she becomes mates with Holly and provides the Watership Down warren with its first litter, three does and three bucks, one of which was named Scabious.
Tales from Watership Down[]
She appears briefly alongside her son but doesn't speak at any time during this scene.
Film[]
In the film, Clover is a mostly white rabbit, with a bright white underbelly and red eyes, presumably an albino. Along with the rest of the hutch rabbits, Clover is recaptured after being let out by Hazel and his friends, resulting in them never being seen again.
TV series[]
Season 1[]
Hazel finds Clover in the hutch.
In this season, Clover has a minor role and only a few episodes and lines. In the episode, only Clover wants to leave the farm but is somewhat reluctant. She leaves with Fiver and Pipkin but only returns to the warren with Pipkin when the farmer shoots Hazel after Fiver says that he will find Hazel.
In The Raid,
Season 2[]
In this season, she plays a more minor role like the last season.
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.
The Homecoming. She is seen with several kittens after Campion arrives on Watership Down for the first time, but it is unknown if they are hers or who the father is. One of them says "mother," implying these are her kittens. She is later seen close to Blackavar in the warren, implying that he may be her mate (which is proven false at the end of season three when she becomes mates with Hawkbit).
She is last seen helping dig the rock loose to kill General Woundwort with Blackberry, Hawkbit, and several other does. When Hawkbit says he thinks it moved, she tells him to stop being such a dither.
Season 3[]
In season three, Clover becomes a main character and the love interest of Hawkbit. 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, runs off to bite Dandelion's tail, and steals his doe, Heather.
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, something Pipkin agrees with, but only to cover up the truth that Campion is truly alive, but doesn't want anyone to know that.
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.
"Hello Clover! What are you doing after the war then?"
"Whatever you're doing, handsome!"
-Hawkbit and Clover, The Magic
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 final episode of the series, she is seen with Hawkbit, who asks her what she is going to be doing after the war and she calls him "handsome"; implying that they are indeed a couple now.
Miniseries[]
Clover in the miniseries of Watership Down.
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. 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. When she notices Hazel, she makes a remark telling him that he just doesn't stop. She explained to Hazel about that Mrs Cane put pieces of metal in. On the roof of the greenhouse, Clover slides down the glass, Hazel saves her.
After Mr. Cane shoots Hazel, Clover says she'll go back but Bigwig stops her. When Fiver blames himself, Clover comforts him, saying that he's not at fault tonight, the farmer is, and that Holly was right.
The Escape[]
- "That settles it. If no one else wants to come, I'll go on my own."
- — Clover to the others about finding Hazel.
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. Clover tries to convince Hyzenthlay she isn't a spy. Clover fearfully looked at General Woundwort.
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 still silflaying, Bigwig explains that he will try and break the does out. Clover tells Bigwig if they convince Hyzenthlay the does will follow the plan.
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.
The next day, Clover talks to Hyzenthlay about 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 Hyzenthlay is taken to Captain Orchis, Clover demands to a guard that she gets taken to Woundwort, after hearing that Clover is the one that Woundwort likes, he finally does. Clover goes to make a deal with Woundwort that she'll consider becoming his queen if he lets Hyzenthlay live, just to be pushed out of the warren.
While Thethuthinnang sings, Clover joins the singing and cornering a guard. When the same guard gets killed by Bigwig, Clover is surprised when Hyzenthlay isn't yet executed. They are led out of the warren by Bigwig successfully. Hazel and Clover reunite.
The Siege[]
At the "human warren", Clover tells Hazel to speak from his heart. During a scene, 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[]
- "Don't give up yet. There's still hope." - Clover to Hyzenthlay in the Miniseries.
- "If I'm to meet the Black Rabbit today, then there's one or two from Efrafa who will come with me." During the final battle in the Miniseries.
Trivia[]
Clover's scrapped design in the Miniseries.
- 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 the other 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.
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 flowers.
Gallery[]
Film[]
TV series[]
Seasons 1-2[]
Season 3[]
Miniseries[]
Merchandise[]
