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Common Timothy

Phleum pratense

Found in meadows, pastures, roadsides, disturbed areas. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

-30
Harmful

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 82%

Height
About 3 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
See native alternatives

Do not plant. Listed invasive in Virginia.

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Eastern Narrowleaf Sedge
    Carex amphibola

    Sun: Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun. Soil: Somewhat dry to average. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Graceful Sedge
    Carex gracillima

    Sun: Part to full shade. Soil: Average to moist. Flowers: Green.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

  • Bitter Panicgrass
    Panicum amarum

    Sun: Full sun. Soil: Dry to moist. Flowers: Pink.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

Refine these alternatives in the finder

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At a glance

Bloom
June to October
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 86 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Meadows

Open, grassy or flowery ground that is not wet, such as mountain meadows; wet meadows are separate.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 39 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

22CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Phleum

  • Amblyscirtes vialisCommon Roadside-Skipper, Black Little Skipper
  • Anicla forbesiForbes' Dart
  • Anicla illapsaSnowy Dart
  • Apamea devastatorGlassy Borer, Glassy Cutworm Moth
  • Apamea sordensBordered Apamea, Rustic Shoulder-Knot
  • Clepsis clemensianaClemens' Clepsis
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Dargida diffusaWheat Head Armywotm Moth
  • Fissicrambus mutabilisStriped Webworm, Striped Sodworm, Changeable Grass-Veneer
  • Leucania pseudargyriaFalse Wainscot
Show all 22
  • Limochores mysticLong Dash
  • Lon hobomokHobomok Skipper
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Mesapamea fractilineaBroken-Lined Borer, Lined Corn Borer, Lined Stalk Borer
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Plusia putnamiPutnam's Looper Moth, Lempke's Gold Spot
  • Polites themistoclesTawny-Edged Skipper
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Elachista illectella
  • Gonioterma mistrella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
11BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Phleum

  • Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
  • Anser caerulescensSnow Goose
  • Antigone canadensisSandhill Crane
  • Branta canadensisCanada Goose
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Calcarius pictusSmith's Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Junco hyemalisDark-eyed Junco
  • Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Show all 11
  • Spizella passerinaChipping Sparrow
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Grows in clumps
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
  • Bloom · “June to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Flower color · “Yellow” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth habit · “Grows in clumps” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “About 3 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Light · “Partial shade; Full sun (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
  • Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Also known as

Cats Tail; Timothy

Conservation status

Virginia rankSNA
Global rankGNR
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources