Many grass species can grow back quickly after a fire has swept through the grassland, and some have seeds that can grow after being burned in a fire. Many grasslands in Australia, Africa and South America are maintained by fires. Because grasses are wind-pollinated plants, their flowers tend to small and modest compared to plants that need to attract insects for pollination. Changing Landscape Grasslands have other types of plants besides the true grasses. They have a number of herbaceous flowering plants and a variety of scattered trees and bushes.
Grasslands change their appearance throughout the year.
In the temperate grasslands, spring brings about a transformation as tender shoots emerge, the grass starts growing, and the first flowers bloom. A similar change is seen in tropical grasslands when the onset of the rainy season changes the landscape from dull brown to bright green. The world's natural grasslands are fragile but dynamic ecosystems that are home to many uniquely adapted animals and plants. But most of the world's natural grasslands, including vast areas of the Russian steppes and American prairies, have been converted to wheat or corn fields, and the East African savannahs are facing the same threat. Worldwide, grassland wildlife must compete with domestic livestock which are too often kept in such high numbers that overgrazing and soil erosion occurs.