December 02, 1982 - Where Have the Cattails Gone?December 2,1982
TO Ouffolk g5meg
CATTAIL MARSH -- Scenes like this were once common on L.I. before the
aggressive phragmites or plume grass took over.
Photo by Paul Stoutenburgh
Where Have the Cattails Gone?
`Where have all the cattails gone ?"
someone asked the other day. It took me a
little off guard because cattails have
always been part of our environment. Yet
thinking back, there used to be a lot more
cattails than there are today. Something
has happened. Phragmites or plume grass
has taken over the cattail domain of
freshwater swamps and marshes.
Forty years ago you could find these tall,
brown, cigar - shaped cattails in all our
swamps. Every kid knew where they grew
and couldn't pass them by without break-
ing one or two off and banishing them
around like dueling swords. Even now
when I do see them growing the temptation
is there to break a bunch off and bring
them home for a winter bouquet. Remem-
ber how velvety soft the brown heads felt?
Compared to the tall, aggressive plume
grass, the thin - leaved cattail just cannot
hold its own. The fact that most people,
and particularly developers, see wet areas
as useless and wasted space -- and
therefore fill them -- destroys much of
what was once cattail habitat. Wildlife is
also losing out because cattails make good
food and habitat for ducks, small birds and
animals whereas the overpowering phrag-
mites is almost useless.
However, there is something good that
must be said for this invader of our
swamps and marshes. It has a powerful
root system, that once established will
hold erosion back as good or better than
any man -made device. Part of the prob-
lem, like so many things in our world, is
that when natural conditions change, new
and more aggressive plants move in and
take over. Phragmites particularly likes
areas where man has changed physical
dimensions by filling or by changing the
water level. Couple these aggressive as-
sets and the fact that phragmites has a
windblown seed that travels everywhere,
one can see why the timid cattail has lost
its dominant foothold in our area.
The Peconic River, which starts in
Manorville and meanders through Calver-
ton emptying into Peconic Bay at
Riverhead, still has its cattail marshes. In
Southold Town, the area west of Moores
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Woods on the north also still can boast an
extensive cattail marsh, but even these
areas are slowly being taken over by the
ever - spreading phragmites.
We are told the Indians knew how to
utilize the cattail to supplement their diet.
And many who read Euell Gibbons' book
"Stalking the Wild Asparagus" know of his
many recipes that utilize this plant. The
heads, before they are ripe, can be boiled
and eaten like corn.
The yellow pollen is easily gathered
when ripe and used with white flour in all
sorts of cooking. The roots can be dried
and ground into a cattail flour. The most
important use of the plant is when it
decomposes and the rich nutrients are
utilized by other plants, fish and animals.
Then we must not forget the leaves when
dried and correctly stored are used to rush
chairs. In the early days there were no
synthetics, no catalogs, no hardware store
down the corner and so Yankee ingenuity
took over and rushing of chairs with
cattail reeds was common throughout the
colonies.
It is still used today to some extent, but I
am sure that same Yankee ingenuity has
now replaced most cattail rush with a
substitute at half the price.
We're also told that torches were made
of the dried heads after they were dipped
in oil or tallow. One can see why dried -out
cattail would absorb the oil like a wick and
burn for a long period of time. In all, the
cattail is a noble plant and should be
encouraged to grow wherever it is found.
Whether used as a wild food, a habitat for
wildlife or merely picked for winter
bouquets, it has a charm that started back
in our childhood days and has never left us.
Let us hope there will always be cattails to
enjoy. PAUL STOUTENBURGH
By Ur. Hichard Hall & Dr. Robert Hall
Lower Back Problem
If you've been treated for lower back
problem and the pain and discomfort are
still there, you may be able to benefit from
chiropractic treatment.
If your spine is out of alignment, this
may be causing other problems in addition
to lower back pain. Because the body's
nervous system is closely integrated with
the spine, any misalignment can cause
painful irritation. Abnormal nerve function
may affect whatever organs, glands, or
tissues that are supplied by that nerve.
The nerves of the lower back, for
example, are connected to certain organs
and other structures in that area. If lower
back spinal misalignment is putting undue
pressure on the nerves, you may be
suffering from more than lower back pain.
It may be having a direct effect on other
areas of yo-u body.
A thorough examination can disclose
exactly where the problem is and how it
can be corrected.
Hall
Chiropractic Offices
• Main Road, Southold
765 -1191
J • 42 Woodhull Avenue, Riverhead
727 -3795
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