Bottlebrush Grass - Hystrix patula

Elymus histrix, also known as Bottlebrush Grass or Hystrix patula, is a perennial grass native to Michigan and the UP. Bottlebrush Grass is a perfect textural accent for a shade garden. This attractive, rich green grass has showy seed heads and graceful foliage. Photos tend not to do it justice.
 
It is best in rich, medium to moist deciduous forest loam and riverbanks, but it also tolerates medium-dry, sandy loam mixed forest areas and even clay. Bottlebrush Grass does well in regular garden soil and is one of my favorite plants; so much so that I used it a a back border in my yard shade garden. It promptly spread by seed throughout the garden, but effect of the graceful grass draping above the shorter woodland plants in the whole garden ended up being very attractive. Since it doesn't crowd anything out, I leave this rich grass interspersed with the other shorter plants.
 
Bottlebrush Grass reaches approximately 3 feet tall, a bit taller in moist and shorter in dry. It thrives and blooms in cool weather. It is deer-resistant, but serves as one of the host plants for  the Northern Pearly Eye butterfly, Enodia anthedon, as well as moths and skippers.