Side-Oats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)
What a great grass to have in the landscape. It is unusual among native grasses because you can see its tiny attractive flowers during the summer bloom time and when the seed heads dry, they look like oats. Side-Oats Grama is an important grass to grow because it is the host plant to the endangered Ottoe Skipper (mnfi.anr.msu.edu/). It is a clump-forming grass, so can easily be grown in smaller gardens without taking over. Side-Oats Grama is listed as endangered and critically imperiled in Michigan (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).
Photo Credit: Aaron Carlson
What a great grass to have in the landscape. It is unusual among native grasses because you can see its tiny attractive flowers during the summer bloom time and when the seed heads dry, they look like oats. Side-Oats Grama is an important grass to grow because it is the host plant to the endangered Ottoe Skipper (mnfi.anr.msu.edu/). It is a clump-forming grass, so can easily be grown in smaller gardens without taking over. Side-Oats Grama is listed as endangered and critically imperiled in Michigan (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).
Photo Credit: Aaron Carlson
What a great grass to have in the landscape. It is unusual among native grasses because you can see its tiny attractive flowers during the summer bloom time and when the seed heads dry, they look like oats. Side-Oats Grama is an important grass to grow because it is the host plant to the endangered Ottoe Skipper (mnfi.anr.msu.edu/). It is a clump-forming grass, so can easily be grown in smaller gardens without taking over. Side-Oats Grama is listed as endangered and critically imperiled in Michigan (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).
Photo Credit: Aaron Carlson
Life Cycle: Perennial
Sun Exposure: Full, Partial
Soil Moisture: Medium, Medium-Dry, Dry
Height: 1.5-2.5 feet
Plant Spacing: 1.5-2 feet
Bloom Time: August-September
Bloom Color:
Advantages: Deer Resistant, Bird Favorite, Larva Favorite, Great Landscaping plant
Host Plant: Otto’s Skipper and Leonard’s Skipper (nwf.org)
Species of Concern: State Status: Endangered (legally protected). State Rank: Critically imperiled (mnfi.anr.msu.edu).
Beneficial Endangered or Threatened Species: Ottoe Skipper (Hesperia ottoe) (mnfi.anr.msu.edu/)
