What is Prairie?

Prairie is the word that refers to the native grasslands of North America that stretch from southcentral Canada into Texas. The word originates from the French, and means meadow, referring to an open, grass-covered, treeless landscape. When French explorers reached the center of North America, they had no precise term for the large expanses of grassland; prairie was the closest term they had in their vocabulary.

Prairie can be roughly divided into tallgrass, mixed-grass, and shortgrass prairie, based on height and species of grasses. Tallgrass prairie refers to areas dominated by grasses >120 cm (48 in) in height. Mixed-grass prairie are areas dominated by grasses 60-120 cm (24-48 in) in height. Shortgrass prairie are areas dominated by grasses 15-60 cm (6-24 in) in height.

The formation of grasslands is due to climate, periodic drought, fire, and grazing. Prairie receives only 30-85 cm (12-34 in) of precipitation per year.