NATIVE PLANT of the month: Big Bluestem, Andropogon gerardi

This beautiful perennial bunchgrass grows to 8 feet tall and is one of the “Big Five Grasses” of our tall grass prairie.  Our prairie was dominated by Little Bluestem, Big Bluestem, Switchgrass, Yellow Indiangrass, and Gamma grass. These 5 grasses made up about 80% of prairie vegetation.  Big Bluestem loves to grow in the sun and part shade in moist soil. It is considered drought tolerant once established because of its deep roots which can reach down to 12 feet. It can handle occasional flooding. The flower's inflorescence is forked like a turkey's foot. This grass can be assertive once established. Red, blue, and brown blooms form from August through November. 

This grass provides nesting cover and seeds for songbirds. Big Bluestem is the larval host of the Delaware Skipper, Dusted Skipper and the Common Wood-Nymph, Cercyonis pegala.

The easiest way to propagate this grass is by division. It is difficult to germinate seed. Dry stratification as well as cold-moist stratification are suggested. 

This is a great grass for grazing animals, but be careful to not over-graze because that will injure the plant. This grass should not be mowed during the growing season. 

Photo credit: https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/andropogon-gerardii/