In Missouri, the most common and conspicuous prairie grasses are big bluestem, little bluestem, Indian grass and switch grass. Other grasses of our prairies are prairie dropseed, sideoats grama, eastern gama grass, cordgrass, June grass and porcupine grass. Broadleaved plants, also called forbs, include many species of the sunflower family, like coneflowers, blazing star, compass plant, rosin weed and ashy sunflower. White wild indigo, goat's rue, bush clover and lead plant are some of the prairie plants from the bean or pea family. Other wildflowers include flowering spurge, obedient plant, wild bergamot, butterfly milkweed and rattlesnake master.
Prairie plants give beauty to prairies throughout the growing season.
Blazing star, compass plant, ashy sunflower, rosinweed and obedient plant are a few of the wildflowers that color prairies in mid to late summer. Various species of asters and goldenrods complete this glorious show of color in early fall. From July through October, the grasses begin to reach their full height, flower and turn rich shades of gold, brown, red and purple. Some can survive only in high quality prairie and live no where else on Earth. Throughout the tallgrass prairie region, as many as 100 species of ants live out their busy lives.