"Tallgrass communities" - also know as tallgrass prairies and savannas- are natural grasslands with a great diversity of grasses, wildflowers and animal life. In Ontario, tallgrass is teeming with wildlife, including:

• over 200 species of plants, such as blazing-star and wild bergamot;
• many birds, such as bobolinks, savanna sparrows and northern bobwhite quail;
• mammals, such as deer, meadow voles, and badgers; and
• a fascination diversity of insects, from butterflies and damselflies to ants, leafhoppers and ladybeetles.

Where are they? Where have they gone?

Tallgrass was once found throughout the east-central U.S. and in Southern Ontario and Manitoba. It covered an estimated 90 million hectares - about the size of British Columbia. Now only 1.5 million hectares (about 1%) remains - about the size of half of Vancouver Island.

In Southern Ontario, tallgrass once covered approximately 1000 km2 - less than 3% remains!

Most tallgrass communities have been lost over the past 200 years due to human use of the land for agriculture and urbanization.

Why are they important?

Tallgrass....

• is a globally imperilled ecosystem and one of the most endangered ecosystems in Canada;
• provides habitat for a huge number of wildlife species, including more than 150 species that are officially designated as rare at the global, national or provincial level; and
• is home to species such as northern bobwhite which is in danger of disappearing from Canada. Some tallgrass species, like the greater prairie chicken and the karner blue butterfly, have already disappeared form Canada.