Chapter 3. Common Native Grasses of the Northern Midwest

This chapter contains a guide to the most commonly sold native grasses, their characteristics, growing conditions, and nativars. We also searched the literature for records of Lepidoptera larval food and host plants, and included any associations we found for Lepidoptera species native to the Northern Midwest.

Chapter sections
3.1 Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii)
3.2 Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
3.3 Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis)
3.4 Hairy grama (Bouteloua hirsuta)
3.5 Lake sedge, hairy sedge (Carex lacustris)
3.6 Palm sedge (Carex muskingumensis)
3.7 Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica)
3.8 Tussock sedge (Carex stricta)
3.9 Tufted hairgrass (Deschampsia cespitosa)
3.10 Eastern bottlebrush grass (Elymus hystrix)
3.11 Junegrass (Koeleria macrantha)
3.12 Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)
3.13 Little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)
3.14 Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans)
3.15 Prairie cordgrass (Spartina pectinata)
3.16 Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis)