Native Grasses Attracts Wildlife, Helps Small Animals Hide, and Gives Birds and Bees a Safe Haven
In benefiting from the resources we use to produce some of nature's greatest gifts, we must nurture nature just as it nurtures us. Not only will nature provide us with beautiful scenery and settings, but it also provides us with many health benefits. Some of nature's animals help us get rid of pests that do more harm to us than good. However, the only way to sustain their lives is to maintain and care for their habitats.
Much of the North American prairies are formed of native grasses. There are many different species of native grasses, which include switchgrass plants, junegrass, bottlebrush grass, vanilla sweetgrass plant, purple lovegrass, Virginia wild rye plant, and much more. Native grasses once covered the majority of the Midwest American grassland. Native grass once covered 3 million acres of Kentucky's grasslands in the pre-settlement days.
Bul rush is a type of Wetland Plant from the sedge family. The plant can grow up to two and a half meters tall with linear leaves. It is a dark brown flowering head that is distinctive compared to others. Each of the flowers on a plant at small in size and packed in bunches surrounded by thin hairs. The bulrush plants have female flowers forming at the bottom while the male flowers are towards the top.
The Pennsylvania sedge plant is a bunch of loose tuft of leafy culms that can reach up to one and a half feet tall. Despite its name, the Pennsylvania sedge is a widespread plant commonly found in Illinois, mainly in the south-central areas. Grasshoppers, leaf-hoppers, and caterpillars of butterflies tend to feed off the plant the most. The Appalachian sedge is a rare Native Plant to the dry wooden areas of Eastern North America. Its scientific name is Carex Appalachia and reaches about a foot long and eight inches wide. Appalachian sedge is adaptable to just about any soil type except for the damp. The plant's low stance yet fountain-like appearance makes it an excellent choice for planting alongside a walkway or a patio.
