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Native Grasses Offer Great Addition to Your Certified Wildlife Habitat

May 12, 2020/in Habitat Conservation, News, Wildlife Watchers /by Kate Hill
pink muhly grass

Native grasses, such as this Pink Muhly Grass, not only add texture and visual interest to your garden, but are a great addition to any Certified Wildlife Habitat. Photo credit: Leppyone, Flickr

By Tony Lance, the Federation’s in-house certified wildlife habitat specialist

When it comes to selecting native plants for your garden, it’s easy to be seduced by varieties with colorful and showy flowers. But don’t forget grasses. These hardy and often overlooked species add texture to your garden and can help local wildlife to thrive. Here are three kinds to consider so your Certified Wildlife Habitat can be a sanctuary for you as well as wildlife.

>>READ MORE: Record number of Tennesseans creating wildlife habitats

Switchgrass

Deer and rabbit resistant, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) produces clumps of blue-green foliage reaching a height of four to six feet with wispy seed heads in the summer. It grows well in most soil types and handles droughts like a champ. Bobwhite quail, a species whose numbers have been in decline in recent decades, are especially fond of switchgrass.

Little Bluestem

Named for its silvery-blue blades, little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) is a warm-season grass of the North American prairies that grows from one to three feet tall. Able to tolerate heat and dry conditions thanks to its extensive roots, this species is sometimes used to control erosion on roadside banks. But as many have discovered, birds and small mammals flock to this beautiful grass, making it a perfect addition to a wildlife-friendly yard.

Pink Muhly Grass

So you want a grass that sports a bit of color? Growing in a mound that gets anywhere from one to four feet tall, pink muhly grass (Muhlenbergia capillaris) produces clusters of tiny pink flowers in the summer. As with the other species mentioned here, American goldfinches and sparrows will take advantage of the seeds when winter comes.

To learn more about how to create your own Certified Wildlife Habitat—no matter the size of your property—visit tnwf.org/GardenForWildlife
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https://tnwf.org/tennesseewf/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/291826225_63c6d8d7ac_o.jpg 440 845 Kate Hill https://tnwf.org/tennesseewf/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/TWF_Logo_horizontal2-e1585681401361.png Kate Hill2020-05-12 09:46:432020-05-12 09:46:43Native Grasses Offer Great Addition to Your Certified Wildlife Habitat
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