Top native grasses
15 species, native to the US, ranked by caterpillars, then bees and other hosts, food, flowers and shelter.
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Red Fescue
Festuca rubra
keystone
caterpillars
20
food
30
shelter
1
-
Switchgrass
Panicum virgatum
keystone
caterpillars
16
food
18
flowers
17
-
Bitter Panicgrass
Panicum amarum
keystone
caterpillars
16
food
14
-
Saint Augustine Grass
Stenotaphrum secundatum
caterpillars
13
food
3
flowers
13
shelter
1
-
Little Bluestem
Schizachyrium scoparium
caterpillars
12
food
15
flowers
5
-
Buffalograss
Bouteloua dactyloides
caterpillars
11
food
18
flowers
2
-
Blue Grama
Bouteloua gracilis
caterpillars
11
food
7
-
Bottlebrush Grass
Elymus hystrix
keystone
caterpillars
8
food
5
-
Reed Canary Grass
Phalaris arundinacea
caterpillars
7
food
16
flowers
34
-
Mat Sandbur
Cenchrus longispinus
caterpillars
5
-
Prairie Dropseed
Sporobolus heterolepis
caterpillars
3
food
12
flowers
3
-
Hairawn Muhly
Muhlenbergia capillaris
caterpillars
2
food
6
flowers
1
-
Indiangrass
Sorghastrum nutans
caterpillars
2
food
5
flowers
10
-
Sea Oats
Uniola paniculata
caterpillars
1
food
6
shelter
1
-
Narrow-leaved Carpetgrass
Axonopus fissifolius
caterpillars
1
food
1