Cattails (Typha Iatifolia)
The first discovered cattail was recorded in 1836, yet the rumor of the useful plant was spread out by 1888. By 1960 it was found all throughout the northern hemisphere. You can find cattails in marsh areas mostly in the northern part of the world but they can also be found in a variety of wetland habitats. They are one to seven meters tall and have a spongy hot dog like head on top of starchy flexible stems. Cattails need a wet muddy soil to grow, their roots spread horizontally beneath the surface of muddy ground to create an upright growth. Cattails often shrink ponds due to their large need of water; they convert the ponds into marsh areas then eventually into dry land. The process helps to prevent erosion.
Even though Cattails destroy some ponds the habitat provides a better home for both plants and animals. The animals that take advantage of the habitat are birds, amphibians, and insects. The birds often use the head of the cattails to make nests. The amphibians find shelter from the tall plants. And the insects sometimes feed off the plant. The downy fur was also used by Native Americans to start fires. The down in some pillows are from cattails as well. But this is not the only useful thing that cattails have to offer. The rhizomes are a delightful nutritious and energy-rich food source. The rhizomes are generally harvested from late fall to early spring. Cattails provide great living conditions and without them many species would cease to exist.
The first discovered cattail was recorded in 1836, yet the rumor of the useful plant was spread out by 1888. By 1960 it was found all throughout the northern hemisphere. You can find cattails in marsh areas mostly in the northern part of the world but they can also be found in a variety of wetland habitats. They are one to seven meters tall and have a spongy hot dog like head on top of starchy flexible stems. Cattails need a wet muddy soil to grow, their roots spread horizontally beneath the surface of muddy ground to create an upright growth. Cattails often shrink ponds due to their large need of water; they convert the ponds into marsh areas then eventually into dry land. The process helps to prevent erosion.
Even though Cattails destroy some ponds the habitat provides a better home for both plants and animals. The animals that take advantage of the habitat are birds, amphibians, and insects. The birds often use the head of the cattails to make nests. The amphibians find shelter from the tall plants. And the insects sometimes feed off the plant. The downy fur was also used by Native Americans to start fires. The down in some pillows are from cattails as well. But this is not the only useful thing that cattails have to offer. The rhizomes are a delightful nutritious and energy-rich food source. The rhizomes are generally harvested from late fall to early spring. Cattails provide great living conditions and without them many species would cease to exist.
1 comment:
Good information about how the cattails physically change an area, however, to add more depth you could have talked about the specific positive and negative affects of the cattail on certain organisms. Proof read for a few grammatical errors that take away from the fluency of your paper!
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