@ngsmagnified: She was NOT expecting that! #cattail #scienceforkids #scienceinthewild #sciencetok Cattails are tall, stiff plants with leaves that look like giant blades of grass. They have a flower structure made up of the brown cylindrical spike on the bottom. It looks kind of like a hotdog (which you see here) this is the female flower, and there is a yellow spike on top, which is the male portion, but it has already fallen off after the pollen was released. In the fall, the brown flower head will enlarge, and eventually pop open to let the wind and water spread its fluffy seed.