Thursday, 25 June 2009

Scotch Mist?

No. Yorkshire Fog! A strange name for one of our more common grasses. Standing a good 2ft tall or more, Yorkshire Fog (Holcus lanatus) has soft, feathery flower heads and soft, grey-green leaves which may be the origin of it's name.

Seen almost anywhere there is grassland, highways and byways, this is a lovely, architectural plant and a useful one too. The plant itself is the main food plant of Speckled Wood Butterflies and many species of Skippers. The seeds are a favourite of many small finches and mammals. The seeds are produced prolifically each flower head or panicle, may produce up to 380 seeds.

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