What is a prairie?

Yellow=Prairie

The BIG picture of prairies Rich soil Very few trees No plants are over 8 feet tall Many types of grass Need periodic disturbances Something (like fire) that keeps other bigger plants (like trees) from growing and taking over the grasses

Golden Rod in a prairie field

Types of Prairies Wet Dry Mesic Wet soil with some standing water No standing water and the ground looks very dry Usually located on slopes Mesic Good drainage and rich soil Most endangered

Wet Prairie

Dry Prairie

Mesic Prairie

Short and Tall grass Short grass Tall grass Where Bison live Ex: Blue grana and buffalo grass Tall grass Much taller grasses Ex: Indian grass, big bluestern, and switch grass

Name all the different types of prairie combinations you can think of now