“Little Bluestem is a perennial, warm-season grass that may grow to 5 feet. The leaves and stems frequently have a bluish cast in summer, while the fall color is a very warm copper that does not fade throughout winter. ” (North Carolina Extension)

Little Bluestem Botany  – By Dr. John Hilty

Botanical illustration (Hitchcock-Chase Collection)

“The preference is full sun and mesic to dry conditions. Different kinds of soil are tolerated, including those that contain clay-loam, gravel, or sand. Less fertile soil is preferred because of the reduced competition from taller vegetation. Because of its C4 metabolism, Little Bluestem develops primarily during the warm weather of summer and early fall, and it has excellent drought resistance.”

Faunal Associations: 

“The caterpillars of several skippers feed on the foliage of Little Bluestem, including Atrytonopsis hianna (Dusted Skipper), Hesperia metea (Cobweb Skipper), Hesperia ottoe (Ottoe Skipper), Hesperia sassacus (Indian Skipper), Nastra lherminier (Swarthy Skipper), and Polites origenes (Crossline Skipper); see Bouman et al. (2006). A skipper looks like a cross between a small moth and a small butterfly. Skippers are common in prairies and other open areas where Little Bluestem and other grasses occur. Many grasshoppers also feed on the foliage (see Grasshopper Table); grasshoppers are common in the same habitats as skippers and they are an important source of food for many insectivorous birds. Other insects that feed on Little Bluestem include Diapheromera velii (Prairie Walkingstick), the leaf-mining beetle Anisostena nigrita, the thrips Illinothrips rossi, Prosapia ignipectus (Black Spittlebug), the Delphacid planthopper Delphacodes parvula, and such leafhoppers as Flexamia albida, Flexamia clayi, Flexamia delongi, Flexamia graminea, Flexamia prairiana, Athysanella incongrua, and Laevicephalus unicoloratus (Arment, 2006; Clark et al., 2004; Hamilton, 1982; Stannard, 1968; Panzer et al., 2006; Haarstad, 2002; FLOW, 2014; Hicks, 2014). The Field Sparrow, Tree Sparrow, Slate-Colored Junco, and other small songbirds eat the seeds, particularly during the winter. The foliage of Little Bluestem is quite palatable to bison, cattle, and other hoofed mammalian herbivores.” (Hilty)

 

The Field Sparrow perched on Little Bluestem. (Rhododendrites)

Covers

North Carolina Extension plant description: Schizachyrium Scoparium (Little Bluestem, Prairie Beardgrass, Prairie Beard Grass) | North Carolina Extension Gardener Plant Toolbox. https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/schizachyrium-scoparium/. Accessed 2 Feb. 2022.

Botanical illustration: “Andropogon scoparius Michx., Little bluestem”, Hitchcock-Chase Collection of Grass Drawings, on indefinite loan from the Smithsonian Institution, courtesy of Hunt Institute for Botanical Documentation, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pa.

John Hilty botany, cultivation, and faunal associations: John Hilty, “Little Bluestem“, Illinois Wildflowers, the publisher, Copyright 2004-2019. Accessed 29 January 2022

“Field Sparrow in Central Park” By Rhododendrites – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,