Festuca ovina. Sheep Fescue is a perennial grass that forms dense tufts of greyish green, bristle-like leaves. It thrives in well drained, poor soil because it forms a symbiotic relationship with mycorrhizal fungi, through which it gathers moisture, minerals, and nutrients. These in turn become available to nearby plants, which has the effect of increasing the overall soil fertility and introducing other plant species. This grass is an important food plant to a number of moths and butterflies. It flowers from May to June, and it has no rhizomes, so each plant stays where it is planted.