One of New Zealand's most iconic tussock grasses. A grass that paints the high country red. It forms large, reddish-brown tussocks that dominate the landscape in montane and subalpine areas. The leaves are tough and fibrous, arching outward from the centre of the tussock. The flower stalks are tall and slender, rising above the foliage in summer. The plant can live for decades, slowly building its tussock year after year. A grass that takes its time. The leaves are rolled and wiry, with a distinctive reddish-brown colour that gives the species its name. The colour intensifies in winter, when the tussocks stand out against the snow. The flower heads are large and feathery, golden-brown to reddish, appearing in summer. A grass that changes with the seasons. Red tussock provides habitat for native birds, lizards and insects. The dense tussocks offer shelter from wind and predators. Ground-dwelling birds like the fernbird and pipit nest among the tussocks. Lizards hide in the base of the clumps. A grass that builds homes for others. The tussock grasslands are a distinctive feature of New Zealand's high country. They cover vast areas of montane and subalpine land, from the North Island's volcanic plateau to the South Island's eastern ranges. Red tussock is one of the dominant species in these grasslands. To walk through a red tussock grassland is to see the landscape at its most open and windswept. The tussocks roll across the hillsides like a reddish-brown sea. In the wind, the leaves rustle and sway. It is a landscape of space and sky, of cold winters and short summers. The wind blows across the high country. The red tussock rustles, reddish-brown against the grey sky. The snow will come. The tussock will wait. The snow will melt. The tussock will grow. It has been here for thousands of years. It will be here when the wind stops blowing. Which is never.