Big bluestem is often the dominant grass of the tallgrass
prairie, an ecosystem dominated by grasses. Growing more than
eight feet tall in good years, large stands of big bluestem,
along with other grasses, fed enormous populations of prairie
animals ranging from grasshoppers to bison. For grazers, big
bluestem provides a moderate amount of protein and high
palatability. It can grow in a wide range of soils types and
chemistry, is drought resistant, prefers the heat and light of
full sun, and is adapted to a plant community often swept by
natural or human-set fires. Its extensive, fibrous root system
effectively stabilizes soil preventing erosion. This
characteristic prairie grass adds height and structure to any
prairie planting. The seedheads are a purplish red in the fall
and its stems and leaves turn a subdued russet in autumn. Big
bluestem grows well in dry to wet environments, but it thrives
in prairies of moderate moisture. As a result, even though it is
found native in most U.S. states, it is most com