The two pastures on our Littleton, Colorado, farm host a variety of grasses, both native and invasive. One of the dominant species is big bluestem, a tall, warm season bunchgrass that is native to prairie ecosystems from the Front Range to the Atlantic Coast.
Reaching 4 to 8 feet in height (depending on available moisture and soil conditions), big bluestem is a hardy, drought tolerant grass that once fed massive herds of bison. Today, it is favored as forage for livestock but is also known to attract a wide variety of grassland birds, mammals and butterflies. Its deep root system, which recycles annually, stabilizes and adds organic matter to the soil (augmenting carbon capture); of course, it is also responsible for the plant's drought tolerance and, since we do not irrigate our pastures, explains its dominance here.
Due to the branching configuration of its seed heads, big bluestem is also known as turkey foot. Whatever one chooses to call it, this grass is a beautiful and beneficial component of any grassland ecosystem, however small that landscape might be.
