Switch Grass - Panicum virgatum

Panicum virgatum, also known as Switch Grass, is a perennial grass native to Michigan and the UP. The Minnesota Wildflowers site describes the blooms as an "airy pyramidal cluster," which I find deligltfully accurate. The airy flowers are one of the special things about this plant, but it also features lovely fat seeds which make perfect winter bird food and loose foliage that turns a festive yellow in the fall.

Plant reaches 3 to 5 feet tall and prefers full sun to partial shade, medium to moist deep, fertile soil, but it is very versitile and will tolerate muck, clay, loam or sand, even on dry sites or salt-impacted roadsides. Spreads well under ideal conditions.
 
Switch Grass is a host plant for a variety of skipper butterflies and supports rich insect life, which in turn supports breeding birds. The seeds are eaten by a variety of birds in the fall and winter. The plant forms large clumps that hold up well to the snow, keeping the seed available and also providing winter shelter for birds and mammals. For a list of birds supported by the Panicum family of grasses, go to https://m.illinoiswildflowers.info/grasses/tables/table41.html.