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Fowl Bluegrass

Poa palustris

Found in meadows, moist areas, bogs, calcareous spring marshes, stream banks and bars, beaver meadows. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

59
Strong

Native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 100%

Height
About 4 feet
Light
Full sun, Part shade, Shade
Soil moisture
Moist to wet
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Bloom
June to July
Fruiting season
Spring to summer

Not yet recorded · Spread · Life cycle · Leaves

Recorded in 6 West 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 3

Meadows

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

Freshwater marshes

Open, herb-covered wetlands with fresh, non-tidal water.

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 96 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (47)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

37CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Poa

  • Acrolophus popeanellaClemen's Grass Tubeworm
  • Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
  • Amblyscirtes hegonPepper and Salt Skipper
  • Amblyscirtes vialisCommon Roadside-Skipper, Black Little Skipper
  • Ancyloxypha numitorLeast Skipper
  • Anicla infectaGreen Cutworm Moth
  • Apamea devastatorGlassy Borer, Glassy Cutworm Moth
  • Atalopedes huronSachem
  • Cercyonis pegalaCommon Wood Nymph
  • Chrysoteuchia topiariusCranberry Girder, Subterranean Webworm, Topiary Grass-Veneer
Show all 37
  • Ctenucha virginicaVirginia Ctenucha
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Fissicrambus mutabilisStriped Webworm, Striped Sodworm, Changeable Grass-Veneer
  • Hesperia leonardusLeonard's Skipper, Blazing Star Skipper, Pawnee Prairie Skipper, Pawnee Montane Skipper
  • Hylephila phyleusFiery Skipper
  • Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
  • Leucania phragmitidicolaNeedle Wainscot, Phragmites Wainscot
  • Limochores mysticLong Dash
  • Lon hobomokHobomok Skipper
  • Lon zabulonZabulon Skipper
  • Macrochilo litophoraAngulate Fan-Foot, Brown-Lined Owlet
  • Marimatha nigrofimbriaBlack-Bordered Lemon
  • Megisto cymelaLittle Wood Satyr
  • Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Parapediasia teterrellusBluegrass Webworm
  • Pediasia trisectaSod Webworm Moth, Larger Sod Webworm
  • Phalaenostola larentioidesBlack-Banded Owlet, Black-Banded Phalaenostola
  • Phalaenostola metonalisPale Epidelta, Pale Phalaenostola
  • Polites corasPeck's Skipper, Yellow-Patch Skipper
  • 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)
1BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Poa

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
5BirdsRecorded eating Poa in West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.

Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Birds that eat Poa 5

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Poaceae
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Moderate
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 July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differ) · 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 · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Height · “About 4 feet” · USDA PLANTS (ranked first; Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide differs) · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
  • Light · “Full sun (6+ hours); Part shade (3–6 hours); Shade (under 3 hours)” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed
  • Soil · “Wet; Wet-mesic” · Prairie Moon 2026 Cultural Guide · Nursery cultural guide; height in flower; moisture categories retained as printed

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS4
Global rankG5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources