Lightweight browsing of the internet on prairies and prairie grasses -

Prairie grasses tend to have deep roots - up to six feet below. Up to 75 percent of their mass is below the surface of the ground. This makes them resistant to drought and fire, since they're protected in the dirt. Being deeply rooted also suggests the grasses are one of nature's ways of preventing soil erosion. Prairie lands, many of which in the USA have been lost to agriculture and highways, consist of diverse and fascinating plant and animal life. Think butterflies, deer, ground squirrels, grasshoppers and miles of wildflowers.

We often think of restoring damaged lands by planting trees, and forget to include other options such as the grasses and wildflowers that are native to the land. They can provide ground cover, food for the birds, insects and animals, and nutrients for the soils. At least some of them take relatively little time to reach maturity.


Meanwhile, a little side journey to cultivated St. Augustine grass. Can't get further away from prairie grasses than St. Augustine, the provider of trim, bright green, low diversity suburban lawns. It doesn't provide a lot in the way of food, yet, it has it's place in the world. St. Augustine has very little in the way of roots, but spreads like a net on top of the land, helping to prevent soil erosion. It easily propagates via the runners that shoot out. St. Augustine, from my own experience, is surprisingly resistant to droughts and freezes and insects, and provides insulation for the soil below, and that which lives in the soil. Like the other grasses, it mats the ground, keeping the moisture in the soil from rapidly evaporating. St. Augustine has been kind of a dirty word in recent decades in environmentalist circles - it's rather dull and disconnected from much of the outdoor chain of life - but it's been proven a real trooper in urban areas during recent droughts.

The above image was taken June 11, 2012 in Austin, Texas.