Tom Frenchman II, Lawrence, spotted this four-leaf clover in Watson Park after a short search. With knowledge of the plant's habitat and growth patterns, Frenchman acquired an extensive collection of the charms.

Tom E. Frenchman II is a four-leaf clover hunter specializing in four- and five-leaf clovers. With a little knowledge of the plant's habitat and growth patterns, Frenchman has acquired an extensive collection of the lucky charms. He will be participating in the St. Patrick's Day Parade today dressed in his traditional Native American dance costume in a white Ford van painted with clovers.

You don’t need the luck of the Irish when you’re Tom E. Frenchman II.

The local clover hunter has a trained eye to find four-leaf clovers any time of the year.

The knowledge about clovers he’s gained the last nine years and an appreciation for a clover’s ‘perfect’ imperfections, as he sees it, has led to a collection of more than 2,000. His collection includes four-, five- and six-leaf clovers and other mutated clovers that catch his eye.

“They are really hard to find, and they are really rare and special,” he said.

Since moving to Lawrence one year ago with an already large clover collection, he decided to start his own business, called cloverexpressions.com, to share a bit of luck with others.

“If you’re going to give something away to someone, I want it to be lucky,” he said.

Though he has found himself surrounded by four-leaf clovers, he doesn’t think it’s rubbed off on him.

“I don’t have a lot of good luck, but I don’t have a lot of bad luck either,” he said after finding three four-leaf clovers in 20 minutes Saturday at Buford M. Watson Jr. Park, Sixth and Kentucky streets.

In 2003, he survived a 15-foot fall from the top of a Pizza Hut building in Arkansas. Frenchman, originally from Arkansas, had been doing mechanical work for a number of years. He traveled to different states for work and for Native American

powwows. He’s a member of the Delaware tribe and is a traditional Native American dancer.

After the fall, he said, he’s had trouble with his concentration and his “short-term memory is horrible.” He’s had trouble doing similar work, so he began a new adventure: finding clovers.

He found his first clover outside a church in Oklahoma.

“I looked down and saw one and the preacher said that’s lucky,” Frenchman said.

From then on, Frenchman has kept his eyes on the ground, crouching down in spots that look promising to add clovers to his collection.

A spring powwow brought Frenchman and his collection to Lawrence one year ago.

Since he couldn’t do mechanical work, he decided to try to make a business out of clover-hunting.

“I travel around and haven’t made much money, but giving away four- and five-leaf clovers is pretty special, I think,” he said.

He’s combined his work with Native American artwork.

“I used to be an artist, but I don’t have the patience for it,” said the man who can spend hours clover-hunting. The most he found at one time is nearly 200, he said.

After nine years, he knows how to add to his stash.

“I look for a place like this (Watson Park) where they mow the lawn a lot,” he said. “They grow back overnight, so fast that the chances of growing a four-leaf is a lot better.”

He looks for patches of three-leaf clovers, where the four-leaves are bound to be found.

As he walks the streets of Lawrence in his brown leather-fringed jacket, he carries a red suitcase filled with brochures and a black notebook filled with about 200 clovers in plastic sheets. He’s made several products, including bookmarks, wallet cards, greeting cards and a calendar.

He’s sold items at The Raven Bookstore, Third Planet and The Blackbird Trading Post. The Blackbird Trading Post has sponsored Frenchman in today’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.

He will be dressed in his traditional Native American dance costume in a white Ford van painted with clovers, sharing his bit of luck with others.