diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwrender/groundcover.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwrender/groundcover.cpp
index 44608ca3c3..9fc40f3e19 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwrender/groundcover.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwrender/groundcover.cpp
@@ -1,5 +1,7 @@
 #include "groundcover.hpp"
 
+#include <span>
+
 #include <osg/AlphaFunc>
 #include <osg/BlendFunc>
 #include <osg/ComputeBoundsVisitor>
@@ -46,13 +48,13 @@ namespace MWRender
         class InstancedComputeNearFarCullCallback : public osg::DrawableCullCallback
         {
         public:
-            InstancedComputeNearFarCullCallback(const std::vector<Groundcover::GroundcoverEntry>& instances,
+            explicit InstancedComputeNearFarCullCallback(std::span<const Groundcover::GroundcoverEntry> instances,
                 const osg::Vec3& chunkPosition, const osg::BoundingBox& instanceBounds)
                 : mInstanceMatrices()
                 , mInstanceBounds(instanceBounds)
             {
                 mInstanceMatrices.reserve(instances.size());
-                for (const auto& instance : instances)
+                for (const Groundcover::GroundcoverEntry& instance : instances)
                     mInstanceMatrices.emplace_back(computeInstanceMatrix(instance, chunkPosition));
             }
 
@@ -191,7 +193,8 @@ namespace MWRender
         class InstancingVisitor : public osg::NodeVisitor
         {
         public:
-            InstancingVisitor(std::vector<Groundcover::GroundcoverEntry>& instances, osg::Vec3f& chunkPosition)
+            explicit InstancingVisitor(
+                std::span<const Groundcover::GroundcoverEntry> instances, osg::Vec3f& chunkPosition)
                 : osg::NodeVisitor(TRAVERSE_ALL_CHILDREN)
                 , mInstances(instances)
                 , mChunkPosition(chunkPosition)
@@ -252,7 +255,7 @@ namespace MWRender
             }
 
         private:
-            std::vector<Groundcover::GroundcoverEntry> mInstances;
+            std::span<const Groundcover::GroundcoverEntry> mInstances;
             osg::Vec3f mChunkPosition;
         };
 
@@ -411,12 +414,15 @@ namespace MWRender
                     }
                 }
 
-                for (auto& pair : refs)
+                for (auto& [refNum, cellRef] : refs)
                 {
-                    ESM::CellRef& ref = pair.second;
-                    const std::string& model = mGroundcoverStore.getGroundcoverModel(ref.mRefID);
-                    if (!model.empty())
-                        instances[model].emplace_back(std::move(ref));
+                    const VFS::Path::NormalizedView model = mGroundcoverStore.getGroundcoverModel(cellRef.mRefID);
+                    if (model.empty())
+                        continue;
+                    auto it = instances.find(model);
+                    if (it == instances.end())
+                        it = instances.emplace_hint(it, VFS::Path::Normalized(model), std::vector<GroundcoverEntry>());
+                    it->second.emplace_back(std::move(cellRef));
                 }
             }
         }
@@ -426,9 +432,9 @@ namespace MWRender
     {
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Group> group = new osg::Group;
         osg::Vec3f worldCenter = osg::Vec3f(center.x(), center.y(), 0) * ESM::Land::REAL_SIZE;
-        for (auto& pair : instances)
+        for (const auto& [model, entries] : instances)
         {
-            const osg::Node* temp = mSceneManager->getTemplate(VFS::Path::toNormalized(pair.first));
+            const osg::Node* temp = mSceneManager->getTemplate(model);
             osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> node = static_cast<osg::Node*>(temp->clone(osg::CopyOp::DEEP_COPY_NODES
                 | osg::CopyOp::DEEP_COPY_DRAWABLES | osg::CopyOp::DEEP_COPY_USERDATA | osg::CopyOp::DEEP_COPY_ARRAYS
                 | osg::CopyOp::DEEP_COPY_PRIMITIVES));
@@ -436,7 +442,7 @@ namespace MWRender
             // Keep link to original mesh to keep it in cache
             group->getOrCreateUserDataContainer()->addUserObject(new Resource::TemplateRef(temp));
 
-            InstancingVisitor visitor(pair.second, worldCenter);
+            InstancingVisitor visitor(entries, worldCenter);
             node->accept(visitor);
             group->addChild(node);
         }
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwrender/groundcover.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwrender/groundcover.hpp
index df40d9d529..ecbc990da0 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwrender/groundcover.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwrender/groundcover.hpp
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
 #include <components/esm3/loadcell.hpp>
 #include <components/resource/scenemanager.hpp>
 #include <components/terrain/quadtreeworld.hpp>
+#include <components/vfs/pathutil.hpp>
 
 namespace MWWorld
 {
@@ -46,13 +47,14 @@ namespace MWRender
         };
 
     private:
+        using InstanceMap = std::map<VFS::Path::Normalized, std::vector<GroundcoverEntry>, std::less<>>;
+
         Resource::SceneManager* mSceneManager;
         float mDensity;
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::StateSet> mStateset;
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Program> mProgramTemplate;
         const MWWorld::GroundcoverStore& mGroundcoverStore;
 
-        typedef std::map<std::string, std::vector<GroundcoverEntry>> InstanceMap;
         osg::ref_ptr<osg::Node> createChunk(InstanceMap& instances, const osg::Vec2f& center);
         void collectInstances(InstanceMap& instances, float size, const osg::Vec2f& center);
     };
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/groundcoverstore.cpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/groundcoverstore.cpp
index f45b49babe..ea5b5baf5e 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwworld/groundcoverstore.cpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/groundcoverstore.cpp
@@ -21,29 +21,27 @@ namespace MWWorld
         query.mLoadCells = true;
 
         ESM::ReadersCache readers;
-        const ::EsmLoader::EsmData content
+        ::EsmLoader::EsmData content
             = ::EsmLoader::loadEsmData(query, groundcoverFiles, fileCollections, readers, encoder, listener);
 
-        static constexpr std::string_view prefix = "grass\\";
+        static constexpr std::string_view prefix = "grass/";
         for (const ESM::Static& stat : statics)
         {
-            std::string model = Misc::StringUtils::lowerCase(stat.mModel);
-            std::replace(model.begin(), model.end(), '/', '\\');
-            if (!model.starts_with(prefix))
+            VFS::Path::Normalized model = VFS::Path::toNormalized(stat.mModel);
+            if (!model.value().starts_with(prefix))
                 continue;
             mMeshCache[stat.mId] = Misc::ResourceHelpers::correctMeshPath(model);
         }
 
         for (const ESM::Static& stat : content.mStatics)
         {
-            std::string model = Misc::StringUtils::lowerCase(stat.mModel);
-            std::replace(model.begin(), model.end(), '/', '\\');
-            if (!model.starts_with(prefix))
+            VFS::Path::Normalized model = VFS::Path::toNormalized(stat.mModel);
+            if (!model.value().starts_with(prefix))
                 continue;
             mMeshCache[stat.mId] = Misc::ResourceHelpers::correctMeshPath(model);
         }
 
-        for (const ESM::Cell& cell : content.mCells)
+        for (ESM::Cell& cell : content.mCells)
         {
             if (!cell.isExterior())
                 continue;
@@ -52,15 +50,6 @@ namespace MWWorld
         }
     }
 
-    std::string GroundcoverStore::getGroundcoverModel(const ESM::RefId& id) const
-    {
-        auto search = mMeshCache.find(id);
-        if (search == mMeshCache.end())
-            return std::string();
-
-        return search->second;
-    }
-
     void GroundcoverStore::initCell(ESM::Cell& cell, int cellX, int cellY) const
     {
         cell.blank();
diff --git a/apps/openmw/mwworld/groundcoverstore.hpp b/apps/openmw/mwworld/groundcoverstore.hpp
index 2f34aa9675..021bdb5e91 100644
--- a/apps/openmw/mwworld/groundcoverstore.hpp
+++ b/apps/openmw/mwworld/groundcoverstore.hpp
@@ -2,6 +2,8 @@
 #define GAME_MWWORLD_GROUNDCOVER_STORE_H
 
 #include <components/esm/refid.hpp>
+#include <components/vfs/pathutil.hpp>
+
 #include <map>
 #include <string>
 #include <vector>
@@ -36,7 +38,7 @@ namespace MWWorld
     class GroundcoverStore
     {
     private:
-        std::map<ESM::RefId, std::string> mMeshCache;
+        std::map<ESM::RefId, VFS::Path::Normalized> mMeshCache;
         std::map<std::pair<int, int>, std::vector<ESM::ESM_Context>> mCellContexts;
 
     public:
@@ -44,7 +46,14 @@ namespace MWWorld
             const std::vector<std::string>& groundcoverFiles, ToUTF8::Utf8Encoder* encoder,
             Loading::Listener* listener);
 
-        std::string getGroundcoverModel(const ESM::RefId& id) const;
+        VFS::Path::NormalizedView getGroundcoverModel(ESM::RefId id) const
+        {
+            auto it = mMeshCache.find(id);
+            if (it == mMeshCache.end())
+                return {};
+            return it->second;
+        }
+
         void initCell(ESM::Cell& cell, int cellX, int cellY) const;
     };
 }
diff --git a/components/vfs/pathutil.hpp b/components/vfs/pathutil.hpp
index 72c475fae0..4492be3967 100644
--- a/components/vfs/pathutil.hpp
+++ b/components/vfs/pathutil.hpp
@@ -94,6 +94,8 @@ namespace VFS::Path
 
         constexpr std::string_view value() const noexcept { return mValue; }
 
+        constexpr bool empty() const noexcept { return mValue.empty(); }
+
         friend constexpr bool operator==(const NormalizedView& lhs, const NormalizedView& rhs) = default;
 
         friend constexpr bool operator==(const NormalizedView& lhs, const auto& rhs) { return lhs.mValue == rhs; }