Winter Cattails

My novel The Body in the Cattails was inspired by a "what if" moment. The thick tangle of riparian growth seemed the ideal place for a body to escape notice. Until a clever cat makes a horrifying discovery. 

Cattails grow along creeks flowing through the greenways in town. For the past couple years, I've been paying close attention to their lifecycle.

Cattails, of the genus Typha, are a tall plant that grows in marshy areas. Their most noticeable characteristic is the  brown fuzzy "tail" that forms on a spike.

In spring, green, grassy-looking growth pushes up from the creek banks. Later, the "tails" form. By fall, the tails go to seed, looking like a startled cat's tail puffing. The fluff is distributed by the wind, creating new growth.

In the winter, cattails aren't too impressive. Like most everything else, they're brown and dried up. It's just part of the lifecycle. I'm anxiously waiting for the first green blades to push up out of the old cattails.
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 In the meantime, here are some photos of cattails in their various stages.

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