Description
Field Pussytoes (Antennaria plantaginifolia) is a low-growing native groundcover that forms soft mats of gray-green, velvety leaves. The foliage stays close to the ground while short stems rise in spring, producing clusters of fuzzy white to pale pink flowers that resemble tiny cat paws. These early blooms provide an important nectar source for bees and other small pollinators when few other prairie plants are in flower.
Spreading slowly by stolons, Field Pussytoes gradually forms small colonies and works well in dry, sunny conditions with well-drained soil. It’s great for prairie plantings, rock gardens, and slopes where a tough, low-maintenance groundcover is needed. Plants typically stay low, with flowers reaching up to about a foot tall.
Native to much of the eastern United States, this species is valued as much for its attractive foliage as its blooms. It is also deer- and rabbit-resistant due to its toxicity, and serves as a larval host for the American Painted Lady butterfly.
