Broadleaf cattail (Typha latifolia)

Going further into the wetland area, there are several species of tall grasses, sedges, and rushes. The broadleaf cattail is a grass perennial that is often found in dense clumps. Its defining characteristic is the dense, brown, cylindrical flowering spike that is around through early fall and then becomes a white mass.

Broadleaf cattails can be found in disturbed habitats, fens, lakes, ponds, rivers, streams, or wetland margins. The species is native to the New England area and Indigenous tribes used it for medicine, food, and crafts. The broadleaf cattail also provides nesting sites for red-winged black birds, geese, ducks, and fish. Animals eat the shoots and roots while others eat seeds.