Winter Bentgrass

Description

Agrostis hyemalis, also known as Winter Bentgrass or Tickle Grass, is a native annual grass.

The caterpillars of several skippers feed on the foliage of Agrostis spp. (Bent Grasses) in sunny areas. These species include Common Roadside Skipper, Leonard’s Skipper, and Fiery Skipper. Other insect feeders of these grasses include Apple-Grass Aphid and other aphids, adult Prairie Spittlebug, Toothed Flea Beetle, leaf-mining larvae of the moth Elachista illectella, and larvae of the gall wasp Tetramesa agrostidis. Larvae of the latter insect form galls on the stems.

This species is palatable to livestock in early spring when it is green and growing.

This plant prefers full sun, mesic to dry conditions, and barren soil containing gravel or sand. However, this grass also adapts to rich loamy soil in disturbed areas.

Agrostis hyemalis is most abundant along roadsides and in open pastures, scrub, and rocky areas. Habitats include hill prairies, gravel prairies, sand prairies, thin upland woodlands and eroded slopes, abandoned fields and pastures, and early stages of prairie restorations. Tickle Grass is a pioneer species that is more common in habitats that are disturbed and degraded.