Blue Grama Grass (Bouteloua gracilis)
Blue Grama Grass is a clump-forming, drought-tolerant grass, so can easily be grown in smaller gardens without taking over. It is an important grass to grow because it is the host plant to the endangered Ottoe Skipper (mnfi.anr.msu.edu/). Blue Grama is a food source to a large number of grasshoppers and grasshoppers are an important food source to many birds. Its dense clumps also provide nesting sites and protection for bees. This is a very attractive and versatile plant.
Photo credit: Matt Levin
Blue Grama Grass is a clump-forming, drought-tolerant grass, so can easily be grown in smaller gardens without taking over. It is an important grass to grow because it is the host plant to the endangered Ottoe Skipper (mnfi.anr.msu.edu/). Blue Grama is a food source to a large number of grasshoppers and grasshoppers are an important food source to many birds. Its dense clumps also provide nesting sites and protection for bees. This is a very attractive and versatile plant.
Photo credit: Matt Levin
Blue Grama Grass is a clump-forming, drought-tolerant grass, so can easily be grown in smaller gardens without taking over. It is an important grass to grow because it is the host plant to the endangered Ottoe Skipper (mnfi.anr.msu.edu/). Blue Grama is a food source to a large number of grasshoppers and grasshoppers are an important food source to many birds. Its dense clumps also provide nesting sites and protection for bees. This is a very attractive and versatile plant.
Photo credit: Matt Levin
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full
Soil Moisture: Medium-dry, Dry
Height: 1-2 feet
Plant Spacing: 1-1.5 feet
Bloom Time: July-September
Bloom Color: Green, Blue
Advantages: Bird Favorite, Deer Resistant, Great Landscaping Plant
Host: Ottoe Skipper, Leonard’s Skipper, Garita skipperling (Johnson and Colla, 2023)
Beneficial Endangered or Threatened Species: Ottoe Skipper (Hesperia ottoe) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu/)
Resource: Johnson, Lorraine, and Sheila Colla. A Northern Gardener’s Guide to Native Plants and Pollinators: Creating Habitat in the Northeast, Great Lakes, and Upper Midwest. Island Press, 2023
