Eragrostis spectabilis

Eragrostis spectabilis, commonly called purple love grass, is a warm season bunchgrass that is native to sandy soils. Flat, coarse, mostly basal, green leaves form a somewhat disorganized clump of foliage that typically rises to 10" tall. Soft reddish-purple flowers in a loose, open inflorescence appear in August, forming an airy cloud that covers the grass clump and raises the overall height of the plant to 24" tall. Flowers lose color and turn brown by October. As the seeds mature, the inflorescence usually detaches from the plant and blows along the ground like a tumbleweed distributing seed as it goes.