Schizachrium scoparium

Few native grasses are as elegant and handsome as Little Bluestem. One of the dominant species of the Tall Grass Prairie, it is a bunch grass, as opposed to a spreading sod-forming species. This perennial forms a dense mound to about 24″, then sends up blue-green stems to about 36″ or so by August. The plant turns sort of a mahogany red in fall and holds that color most of the winter. A good species for wildlife, its seeds are eaten by small birds and it is a larval host plant for several types of skipper butterflies. Little Bluestem will perform best if it is grown in a nutrient poor soil and not over watered once it is established.