Side-oats Grama

Bouteloua curtipendula

Pollinator Value

🐛 Larval Host: Hesperia leonardus (Leonard's Skipper)
S14 Hesperia leonardus, Hesperiidae, Nearctic; confirmed ON range
❄️ Winter Food Source: Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) consumes seeds, documented in 2 studies with 6 records. Seeds persist on pendulous spikes through autumn before the entire spike falls to the ground; limited persistence into winter.
S57 Wild Turkey, Phasianidae; S10 spikes persist into autumn; S11 Fruit/Seed Persistence=No

Proximity Score: 1
Native Status: ❌ Outaouais ❌ Ottawa ❌ QC ✅ ON
Closest Direction: S
CEC Eco-Regions: 8 – Eastern Temperate Forests, 8.1 – Mixed Wood Plains, 8.1.1 – Eastern Great Lakes and Hudson Lowlands
Rarity Notes: Ranked S2 (Imperiled) in Ontario and N3 nationally in Canada, reflecting the species' restriction to a handful of alvar and dry limestone sites in southern Ontario. Globally secure (G5) across its extensive range from southern Canada to Argentina. Not listed under SARA or COSEWIC.
S22 rank_on=S2, national_rank_ca=N3, global_rank=G5; S26 not SARA listed
Rarity Ranks: QC SNA – Not Applicable, ON S2 – Imperiled
Migration: Stable
Ecological Context: A warm-season C4 bunchgrass of dry prairies, limestone alvars, and open rocky slopes. In Ontario, restricted to calcareous substrates including alvar habitats near Shannonville and Point Anne on the Bay of Quinte, and limestone cliff crests near Campbellford. Typically associated with Schizachyrium scoparium, Sorghastrum nutans, and Liatris cylindracea in dry upland prairie communities. Ranked S2 (Imperiled) in Ontario, reflecting its confinement to a few alvar and limestone sites.
S48 ON specimens on dry limestone alvar; S10 hill prairies, dry upland prairies; S7 prairies and dry open places; S22 S2 in ON

Roles: Fire Retardant, Fortress/Barrier, Pollinator Attractor
S73/S29/S72 Evidence: Fire Retardant: S73 [MEDIUM]: S11 Fire Tolerance = Medium (not definitional)] | Fortress/Barrier: S61 keyword match: prickl (supporting signal only)] | Pollinator Attractor: S73 [HIGH]: S64 Xerces listed (source-classified)]
Notes: A complementary companion in dry prairie and meadow plantings. Stays short in spring, allowing spring wildflowers to display before its summer growth phase. Its warm-season phenology fills the gap when cool-season species are dormant. Juglone tolerance makes it suitable near black walnut.
S4 mixes well with spring wildflowers, stays short in spring; S3 tolerates juglone conditions

✅ Edible

Foraging Notes: Kiowa recognized this grass as good fodder for livestock, but it was not consumed directly by humans. USDA rates it as not palatable to humans. It is highly palatable to grazing animals including bison, horses, and cattle.
S28 Kiowa Food/Fodder; S11 Palatable Human=No, Palatable Graze Animal=High; S10 mammalian herbivores graze readily