Where do Prairies come from?

Where do Prairies come from?. . , American prairies began forming 25 to 50 million years ago after the Rocky Mountains were pushed up into existence. This new mountain range reduced the flow of moist Pacific air moving toward the east., Over the centuries, moisture- dependent woodlands were replaced with drought-resistant plants like prairie grasses. Ranging in height from inches (shortgrass prairies in the West) to over ten feet (tallgrass prairies in the East), these prairies covered more than one million square miles., Prairies were thought to have moved into western Ohio approximately four to eight thousand years ago during a climatic warming trend. Eventually, cooler and wetter conditions returned and by the 1700's only small pockets of Ohio prairie, known as outliers, stayed behind. Early settlers would have encountered scattered prairies ranging in size from several acres to many square miles., Today, prairies are one of our more threatened ecosystems, with less than 1/10 of 1% remaining. Only with careful management and respect will the tallgrass prairie remain as a living testament to our state's diverse ecological past.