Alaskan Cotton Grass

Description:

"They are herbaceous perennial plants with slender, grass-like leaves. The seed heads are covered in a fluffy mass of cotton which are carried on the wind to aid dispersal. In cold Arctic regions, these masses of translucent fibres also serve as 'down' – increasing the temperature of the reproductive organs during the Arctic summer by trapping solar radiation."

Habitat:

Open grass field. We saw this beautiful plant from the tundra in Denali to the marshy areas along the Turnagain Arm.