Land Conservation at The Hermitage

Land Conservation at The Hermitage. Native Warm Season Grasses Plan. Native warm season grasses grow well during the summer heat. These are bunch type grasses, and the bare ground between the grass clumps provides wildlife cover and nesting space. Habitat conditions are excellent for species such as bobwhite quail, cottontail rabbit, and various small mammals. Whitetail deer graze native grasses, and prey species attract predators., When the early settlers of European descent came to Tennessee, they found native grasses growing in treeless areas that they called “barrens.” It is believed that these open areas were maintained by fires set by American Indians, lightning strikes, and/or grazing and trampling by herds of bison, deer, and elk., As the settlers made their homes and altered the landscape for agriculture, native warm season grasses were replaced by hay and pasture grasses introduced from Europe. Controlling wildfires also allowed some native grass lands to gradually become forests., Many of the common introduced agricultural grasses provide very little habitat benefits for wildlife. In the southeast, bobwhite quail populations in particular have been adversely affected by widespread loss of suitable habitat. Planting and properly maintaining native warm season grasses can restore vital small game, non-game habitat, and provide grazing for livestock in Tennessee., Technical assistance and funding for this Native Warm Season Grass establishment was provided by: , . Natural Resources Conservation Service , . Davidson County Soil Conservation District , . Tennessee Department of Agriculture, Native warm season grasses: big and little bluestem, indiangrass, and switchgrass can be planted as a field border, filter strip, or field planting. NWSG have many purposes: , . Improving water quality , . Wildlife cover , . Forage for grazing and haying, Captions: , Indiangrass and forbs , Switchgrass , Little bluestem , Big bluestem , Big bluestem seedhead ,