Herbert Hoover National Historic Site - Grasses

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site by National Parks Service

The predominant vegetation cover in the natural zone includes tallgrass prairie, accounting for about 81 acres. The most abundant grass is big bluestem with Indiangrass, switchgrass, Little bluestem, Side-oats grama, and Canada wild rye completing the grass complex. Visitors may find small patches of Virginia wild rye and slough or cord grass if they look in the wet meadow. The prairie includes about five acres of wet meadow and the remaining area is upland habitat.

Botanists call prairie grasses "warm-season" grasses, because they grow abundantly in hot weather. These grasses form their seed heads in late summer and fall. At that time of year, the prairie looks lovely with the tall seed plumes waving high in the breeze.