Blue Grama Grass Bouteloua gracilis is a Michigan Native plant available at Wild Cherry Farm
Blue Grama Grass Bouteloua gracilis is a Michigan Native plant available at Wild Cherry Farm

Blue Grama Grass (Bouteloua gracilis)

$5.00

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

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