Cottongrass, Hutton Moor

The cottongrass has been particularly good this year. Large swathes of the fluffy white cotton seedheads. Also known as bog cotton and ghost grass although not strictly a grass. It grows well on damp acidic moorland. The seeds and stems are supposed to be edible with its astringent properties used to treat diarrhoea. Wads of the fluffy seedheads have been used to replace nappies for babies during the night, as a pillow stuffing and as a wound dressing.