Native Grasslands: Discovering An Old Landscape with New Eyes
Native Grasslands: Discovering An Old Landscape with New Eyes
The unfortunate and harsh reality of today is that the majority of the population has yet to properly experience a grassland. Even if someone grew up in a rural area, they may look out and not see much, just some grass, maybe some hills, trees and the odd wetland. Let alone urban populations that are limited even more to accessing this disappearing landscape. Grasslands are teeming with life and intricate details that make them all unique.
It can take both time and maybe a new perspective to properly “see” a grassland.
Looking at the grass species alone, you’ll find a remarkable range of diversity. You may notice how different grasses might break out of the soil in tufts or as a single stem and then run your fingertips over the individual blades to appreciate tiny hairs, ridges or waxy coatings. Some have sharp, harsh seed spikes while other grasses blow in the breeze with a silky or feather-like seed head. Look around to the patches of taller grass blowing in the breeze like a slow wave from a friendly neighbour or the shorter grass rustling gently and quietly.
Then the wildflowers and legumes that stand out with contrasting colours against the green and blue hues of the grasses with pops of orange, yellow, purples and pinks. Creating a game of eye spy to find the most colorful and unique flowers within the ocean of grass. Some flowers are low growing and inconspicuous while others stand tall on exposed hillsides bearing their colors proudly. Small pink flowers blooming on prairie rose shrubs nestled among the wolf willows long, silvery branches reaching into the sky from the coulees, with the strong smell of sage from sagebrush nearby dominating your senses.
Tucked amongst the blades of grasses and shrubs are tiny little birds that play hide and seek, most only able to catch glimpses of them scurrying back into the taller grass or already flying away. These grassland specialists use a camouflage of browns, blacks, yellow and oranges to stay hidden. Identifying these birds can takes years of experience and a little bit of luck along the way. The tiniest patches of white or orange on the neck, different brown streaking patterns on their chests or wings and their songs are used to properly identify them. Majority of the time, you will only hear them singing overhead as a signal of their presence, elusive on the ground from years of evolution to stay hidden from predators.
If you are fortunate, you might even catch sight of one of the most iconic grassland species, the Pronghorn, as it grazes through the plains. Their sleek, lean bodies ready to sprint from danger at a moment’s notice and their curved horns on their head like a crown, symbolic of their resilience on the vast prairies. Foxes and coyotes scurrying from hole to hole, looking for their next meal. Eventually resting outside their dens while their young jump and run around them from the excitement of their recent meal, the grassland delicacy of gophers.
This is just a brief description of what can be seen on native grasslands. They are biodiversity hotspots that must be conserved and appreciated. The landowners that steward these rangelands play a pivotal role in their conservation and protection. So, while some may only see grass, they are failing to see the individual species of plants that play very different but very important roles such as forage, nesting sites, shelter and much more. From the short grasses to the tall grasses and the shrubs and trees, they are one of nature’s most incredible creations and definitely something worth protecting.
Author: Mindy Hockley-Anderson