The space was open and the views endless. Badlands National Park is located at the western edge of the mixed grass prairie. The mixed grass prairie of the central United States is actually a transition zone between the more arid shortgrass prairie to the west and the more moist tallgrass prairie to the east, but because of its size is considered worthy of separate distinction. Warm or cool-season plants, grasses make efficient use of seasonal trends. They are distributed along a continuum from east to west, decreasing in height with a general decrease in available moisture.
Grasslands support more than just grasses.
Within them one may discover many kinds of wildflowers, desert plants, and occasional trees that provide food and habitat for a unique assembly of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, and insects. Most of the 56 different types of grasses found in the Badlands are native, having developed over millions of years. A number of exotic grasses were introduced as settlers immigrated to this country. Superbly adapted to more arid environments, the narrow, waxy-coated leaves of grasses conserve moisture and are arranged more or less vertically along the stem for maximum photosynthetic efficiency. Extensive fibrous root systems, sometimes reaching depths twice the height of the above-ground plant, establish contact with deep sources of moisture.