Pink Muhly Grass

Pink Muhly Grass

Common name:  Pink muhly grass, pink hair grass

Scientific name:  Muhlenbergia capillaris

Family:  Grass, Poaceae

Bloom period:  August or September to November

What to look for:  Glossy, wiry, thread-like, dark green leaves and stems form a basal clump, about two feet tall.  The  fall flowering, flowering though, distinguishes this grass.  Masses of airy, open, loosely branched inflorescences (about 12 inches long atop the 24 inch tall grass stems) in pink to pinkish-red float above the foliage.  Later in the fall through early winter, tan seed plumes and leaves that turn a copper color provide visual interest.

Where to see it: In the Village Green garden.

Benefit to pollinators:  This species is a host plant for the orange skipperling butterfly (Copaeodes aurantiaca) and is important to native bees and birds for nest building material.  Planted in groupings, it creates shelter for small creatures including butterflies, who like to hang from grasses in a rainstorm or at night for protection.  Songbirds love the seeds produced in the fall.

More info:  The genus name of this plant honors Henry (Gotthilf Heinrich Ernst) Muhlenberg (1753–1815),whose study of  North American plants earned him distinction as one of the United States’ first outstanding botanists.