Tridens flavus (Purpletop Grass)

Description

Native grass. Produces showy airy panicles in the fall which retain their color for months. Larval host of several butterflies. Seeds provide food for birds. All grasses are deer-resistant and help protect surrounding vegetation from deer damage

Faunal Associations: The caterpillars of several skippers feed on the foliage of Purpletop, including Poanes hobomok (Hobomok Skipper), Poanes zabulon (Zabulon Skipper), Polites origenes (Crossline Skipper), and Pompeius verna (Little Glassywing); the caterpillars of the butterfly Cercyonis pegala (Common Wood Nymph) also feed on the foliage of this grass (Wagner, 2005; Bouseman et al., 2006). Other insect feeders include the seed-eating larvae of Contarinia sorghicola (Sorghum Midge), the stem-boring larvae of Eurytomocharis triodiae (Purple-top Borer), and such aphids as Hysteroneura setariae (Rusty Plum Aphid) and Hyalopteroides humilis (Orchard Grass Aphid); see Felt (1917) and Blackman & Eastop (2013). Among mammals, the Prairie Vole feeds on foliage of Purpletop (Cook et al., 1982), and it is also palatable to livestock. Because of its size and tendency to form colonies, this grass provides significant cover for wildlife.