Schizachyrium scoparium (Little Bluestem)

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

Height, Spread: 2-4 ft, 1.6-3 ft

Water/Soil: Dry-medium moist, well-drained

Light: Full sun

Bloom: Purple-bronze racemes appear in the summer to early fall

Native Range: North America (except California, Nevada, and Oregon)

Qualities: Wildlife resource, Host plant, Drought tolerant, Attractive to pollinators, Deer resistant

Notes: Perennial ornamental warm-season grass commonly found in fields and prairies. Provides excellent wildlife cover year-round and is the host plant for several skipper species and the Common wood-nymph butterfly ( Cercyonis pegala). Birds and small mammals eat its seeds and butterflies will feed on its rotting fruit and flower nectar. Best grown in naturalized meadows, fields, prairies, in your garden, or in a container.