I can’t help but think that cattail seedheads in their prime look more like corndogs than they look like cats’ tails. But then, I suppose it’s not very romantic to think of corndogs waiving in the breeze – especially in the early winter, when the seedheads crack and expose their “fluff,” looking like cats’ tails with the mange or corndogs that have gone way beyond their expiration dates.
Nonetheless, that fluff is one of the warmest of natural materials and often was harvested in days of yore. Native Americans reportedly lined their moccasins and papoose boards with it and early settlors stuffed quilts with it. It also was considered to be some of the best tinder for starting fires.
We reportedly have two species of cattails in Maine, one native and one thought to have originated in Europe. The native species is Broadleaf or Common Cattail (Typha latifolia), shown wintering above. The other species is the Narrowleaf Cattail (Typha angustifolia).
The plants’ leaves, flowering seedheads, and stalks die off in winter, but the essence of the plant lives on in its extensive root system (rhizomes) and patiently awaits a green reincarnation in the spring. (Images taken in Brooklin, Maine, on December 6, 2022.)