An endless variety of plants can be seen on rangeland. Tall grasses like Canada wildrye and Indiangrass can be found on wetter soils while shorter grasses like blue grama and buffalograss grow in drier sites. A rich assortment of flowering plants, shrubs and trees add to the diversity of rangelands. Home on the Range Grazing animals are the most efficient, and usually the only way to utilize the native vegetation found on rangelands. Domestic animals such as cattle sheep and goats harvest grass and other rangeland plants which are then converted to food, wool and leather.
Rangelands provide food and cover for thousands of different animals.
White-tailed deer, fox, prairie dogs, game birds, and many song birds thrive on rangeland, providing abundant recreational opportunities for nature lovers. Rangeland vegetation provides valuable ground cover which reduces the chances of soil erosion helping to keep our lakes, streams and drinking water clean. Indiangrass is found on healthy rangeland and, above all, is a manor guardian against wind and water erosion. Indiangrass can be identified by its distinctive golden plume-like seeds heads.