Autumn Silvergrass Viewing Season: A Walk Along the Banks of the Dahan River in New Taipei to Admire the Silvergrass

As the seasons turn to autumn, the morning and evening breezes gradually bring a chill. Wearing a light jacket and strolling leisurely along the banks of the Dahan River in New Taipei City, the white waves swaying in the wind along the creek banks, pond edges and beside the trails seem like snow scattered across the land in autumn. This is the star of the deepening autumn mood, "silvergrass." Now is the perfect time to come to the Dahan River constructed wetlands for a walk to admire the silvergrass!

The plants commonly called "silvergrass" are mostly grasses of the Poaceae family that bloom in autumn. Common ones include wild sugarcane (Saccharum spontaneum), reed (Phragmites australis) and silvergrass (Miscanthus, called "guan-mang" in Taiwanese Hokkien). Each has its own bearing, and their blooming period runs in relay from September to November, spanning the entire autumn season.

In earlier rural times, silvergrass panicles were often tied into brooms, or wild sugarcane, which older generations once ate as a snack in childhood, was a kind of wild snack. It is eaten in a way similar to sugarcane (the stem and rhizome are edible; called "kau-tsia" in Taiwanese Hokkien), with the rhizome having a slight sweetness and carrying the earthy flavor of rural life. The New Taipei City Government invites you to come to the Dahan River constructed wetlands for a relaxed and pleasant silvergrass-viewing trip, to witness together the silvergrass gracefully swaying in the wind, standing tall against the sky, dancing with the wind in its beautiful posture.