Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) is found in nearly every state, a diverse and sturdy grass and keystone component of the tall grass prairie. The noticeably ornamental foliage features green, with ...

Many native ornamental grasses are host plants (food sources) for the larval or caterpillar stages of butterflies and moths. Most of these grasses stand upright through fall and winter, providing ...

Illinois, nicknamed the Prairie State by early settlers, was once dominated by a tallgrass prairie ecosystem. Prairies are characterized by deep, fertile soils that are the result of thousands of ...

No matter your garden style you are likely to find a place for this year’s Perennial Plant of the Year, Blackhawks big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii ‘Blackhawks’). You’ll enjoy the beauty it adds to ...

Grass reveals itself in fall and winter. No longer just green leaves flattened underfoot, but stems luminous as glass in the low sunlight, seedheads raised in bronze spikes, combed in crystal beards, ...

I love the look of ornamental grasses, but prefer to plant natives in my yard. Do you have any suggestions for native grasses that will take the place of the usual nonnative types and still look good?

As Mike Schultz walks through the tall big bluestem native prairie grass on land next to the south shore of Lake Washington, pointing out five wetlands that have been restored, he says it was “the ...

Ornamental grasses check all these boxes and more. Numerous cool and warm-season grasses, including native and non-native species, are hardy throughout Wisconsin, so there are plenty to choose from.

Grasslands, old fields, and early successional areas (e.g., areas dominated by grasses, forbs, and/or brambles) provide habitat for wildlife species such as northern bobwhite, eastern cottontail, ring ...