### biome | grassland:

Prairie
* All prairies are different in the amount of rainfall and the seasonal temperature.
* Most prairie contains wildflowers.
* Most prairie is dominated by grass
  - vegetation
  - possesses grasshoppers
* Some prairie attracts birds
  - butterflies
  - has diversity
  - prairies also have a few trees
* Some prairies have short grass, some have tall, and some have mixed grass
  - tall course grasses and others have short grass species
* absorb a lot of rain, reducing erosion and runoff.
* always lack good soil.
* are an important part of America's history and natural heritage
  - the ecosystem
  - open track of land
  - areas where fire very important component
  - as beneficial to game species as they are to nongame wildlife
  - big areas of land that are covered in grass
  - dependent on fire
  - diverse grasslands with an abundance of wildflowers and few woody plants
  - essential for the survival of many plants and animals
* are extensive areas of flat or rolling grasslands
  - grasslands with a diversity of wildflowers and few shrubs or trees
  - flat grasslands
* are found across North America and have been symbolized in numerous works of literature
  - in landscapes too dry for forests and too wet for deserts
  - generally humid and are densely covered in tall grass
  - grasslands with tall grasses while steppes are grasslands with short grasses
  - in areas of more seasonal rainfall
  - located in the interior of North America
  - more common than in the other subregions
  - one of the most distinctive aspects of the North American landscape
  - stable ecosystems
* are the grasslands found in the central part of the North American continent
  - most endangered ecosystem of North America
  - unique ecosystems dominated by grasses and other non-woody plants called forbs
  - vast open areas dominated by grasses
  - warm in summers and cold in the winters
  - wide open areas without any trees
* bloom from spring to fall.
* can be home to a variety of wildlife and plants
  - tropical or temperate
* cover most of the states west of the Mississippi River.
* depend on fire to maintain the ecosystem stability and diversity.
* generally consist of native plants, rather than alien plants.
* has abundances
  - disturbances
* have cold winters and hot summers with a moderate amount of rain and snowfall
  - trees, but few
* increase ecological diversity.
* is books.
* rattlesnakes also use the prairie dog dens and are common throughout the refuge
  - have a diamond shaped head which is set off from the relatively thin neck
* support a large community of invertebrates
  - an enormous diversity of organisms
* take time to heal themselves and become functioning ecosystems.
+ Midwestern United States, Geography: Census Regions of the United States
  * The land in the Midwest is generally thought of as being flat. This is true of several areas in the Midwest, but there are parts that are not flat. For example, the eastern Midwest near the Appalachian Mountains, the Great Lakes basin, and northern parts of Wisconsin, U.P. of Michigan and Minnesota are not flat. Also, the northern part of the Ozark mountain range is in southern Missouri. Prairies cover most of the states west of the Mississippi River. Less rain falls in the western Midwest than in the eastern part. This causes different types of prairies. Areas in northern Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, and the Ohio River valley are not very developed.

### biome | grassland | prairie:

Dry prairie
* are only wet after heavy rains.
* require frequent fire to suppress invasion of shrubs and trees.

Mixed prairie
* includes both tall and short grasses.
* occurs in drier regions, taller grasses such as prairie cord grass and big bluestem.

Native prairie
* distinctive landscape which is rapidly disappearing from northeastern Illinois.
* is one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada.
* threatened habitat in Saskatchewan's sea of cultivated fields.