The Joyful Botanist: Pussytoes, pussytoes, I love you
The soft and fuzzy flowers of pussytoes are said to resemble a cat’s paw.
Adam Bigelow photo
I love walking in the woods in springtime. Flowers begin to line the trail in late February, and by the first of April, only a fool would fail to notice the abundance and diversity of flowers surrounding them as they saunter through the forest. The first spring wildflowers are all small, blooming just above the ground.
This helps these early flowers survive the ups and downs, highs and lows, freezes and thaws that define springtime.
Most people’s short-term recollection seems to keep them from remembering that springtime includes all types of weather and is not just warm and nice. That’s what we call summer. Springtime is defined by flowers. And Southern Appalachia is filled with springtime flowers.
I try to take great care while walking in the woods in springtime to not step on the already blooming flowers, or the young shoots of those to come. As I am cat footing through the leaf litter, stalking the first of each species to bloom, ready to pounce with camera in hand, I will let out a great howl of joy and excitement when I come across the tiny blooms of solitary pussytoes (Antennaria solitaria).
One of many species of Antennaria that grow throughout North Carolina and Southern Appalachia, the solitary pussytoes bloom singularly from March to May depending on elevation and other environmental factors. Other members of this genus that live in this state include the commonly found plantain-leaved pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia), which has been documented from the mountains to the sea along many a trail. The genus name of Antennaria is a reference to the flower stalks, or male staminate flowers resembling insect’s antenna.
These two commonly found pussytoes are easy to differentiate, and knowing both the common names and the botanical names can help. Both have the distinctive flowers that give them their common names. Blooming white with shades hinting at lavender and pale purple, the flowers of pussytoes are held in a cluster — or composite — that gives away its membership in the aster family. These soft and fuzzy clusters look to the artistic eye like the delicate toes of cats.
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If there are multiple flower clusters on a stalk, then you are likely looking at the plantain-leaved pussytoes. If there is only one single cluster of flowers, then the common name of solitary pussytoes gives away which species you’re seeing. Antennaria species are dioecious, literally translated as “two houses,” which means there are separate female or male flowering plants. Monecious plants have both types of flowers, and monecious transliterates to “one house.” To distinguish between the two, a hand lens or magnifying glass is helpful, or you can zoom in close with your phone to look for either pollen producing stamens or the female flowering pistils.
The solitary pussytoes form a densely spreading mat of plants and make for a great groundcover in deep to partial shade. They are also important sources of nectar for early emerging bees and flies, and both species are the host plant for caterpillars of the American lady butterfly (Vanessa virginiensis) a beautiful orange and black butterfly that can be seen from May to November in the woods and fields around us.
I like to groom the leaves and twigs off of a patch of pussytoes before taking their photo. Even a whisker of a pine needle can throw off the image, keeping it from being perfect. Keep an eye to the ground as you walk in the woods this spring, and you might just spot a cluster of pussytoes enjoying a lightly sunny spot. You can even try to call them with a pss-pss-pss, but just like their namesake, they probably won’t be bothered to come to you.
(The Joyful Botanist leads weekly wildflower walks most Fridays and offers consultations and private group tours through Bigelow’s Botanical Excursions. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..)
