A growing number of homeowners are insulating their walls in order to lower energy costs. They opt for the cheap variety, polystyrene. Yet there are environmentally-friendly alternatives: Cattails, ...

Cattails have gone by myriad names. Among them are Cossack asparagus (don't ask me why), rushes, flags, blackcap, flagtail, water torch, marsh beetle, cat-o'-nine-tails, candlewick, reedmace and many ...