Timothy (Phleum pratense)

Timothy

Between June and August, you can find flowering Timothy (Phleum pratense) in Central Europe. Shortly after flowering, the half-ripe seeds are formed. This plant species, which belongs to the grass family (Poaceae), grows on fertile, nutrient-rich soils and reaches a height of 30 cm to 100 cm. The pseudo-spike at the top of the stalks is usually between 10 cm and 30 cm long. Another name for this plant species is meadow cat’s-tail.

Many pet birds like to eat this type of grass when it is half ripe after a short acclimatization period. To preserve them for the winter, you can either dry or freeze the half-ripe seed heads; the latter is the better option because many birds do not like to eat dried grasses.

You can find more photos of this species on NABU-naturgucker.de (German website, but also available in English language).

German – English translation: Sarah Wiechers