Switch Grass (Panicum virgatum)
Tallest native panicum in Illinois. Has light green to reddish green spikelets. Various insects such as the larvae of skippers feed on the foliage. Seeds eaten by a variety of birds including wetland birds, upland birds, and granivorous songbirds.
Tallest native panicum in Illinois. Has light green to reddish green spikelets. Various insects such as the larvae of skippers feed on the foliage. Seeds eaten by a variety of birds including wetland birds, upland birds, and granivorous songbirds.
Tallest native panicum in Illinois. Has light green to reddish green spikelets. Various insects such as the larvae of skippers feed on the foliage. Seeds eaten by a variety of birds including wetland birds, upland birds, and granivorous songbirds.
Bloom: mid-summer
Habitats: abandoned fields; areas along railroads; banks of rivers and ponds; black soil prairies; clay prairies; ditches; edges of marshes; open woodlands; prairie restorations; roadsides; rocky bluffs; sand dunes; sand prairies; sandy pannes; typical savannas and sandy savannas
Lifespan: perennial
Moisture: moist to mesic
Plant type (height): grass (3 to 6 feet)
Requirements: full sun to partial sun
Soil: deep fertile soil