What is a Grassland?
Learn all about grassland ecosystems!
Stop 1: What do I know about grass?
Think:
- What does grass look like?
- How tall or short is grass?
- Where have you seen grass in your neighborhood?
Maybe you said that grass looks like this:
This picture shows grass. It is green and short.
Where in your neighborhood do you see grass?
I see grass in the soccer field.
I see grass in the park, too.
Grass grows next to the street and in front of some houses and apartments.
Stop 2: Different kinds of grasses
Did you know that short, green grass is not the only kind of grass?
Just like there are different kinds of people, birds, and flowers, there are different kinds of grass!
A grassland is a place where all different kinds of grasses grow.
Grasses can be very tall. They come in different shapes and sizes. Grasses come in different colors and textures.
Grasses in the grassland can be very tall.
Do you see the man in the picture? The grass is all the way up to his shoulders!
Imagine being in a grassland. The grass would be taller than you.
Grasses are many shapes and colors.
This picture shows different kinds of grasses.
What shapes are the grasses?
This picture shows a grass named Little Bluestem.
What colors do you see?
Grasses are not just green. They can be yellow, purple, blue, pink, and brown.
This picture shows a grass named Switchgrass.
Grasses can have different textures.
Does this grass look soft, pointy, or something else?
This picture shows a grass called Indiangrass.
On a piece of paper, draw a picture of Indiangrass.
Label the colors, shapes, and textures you see.
Stop 3: Grassland Animals
Animals live in the grassland. Listen to the sounds in the video. Who do you think is hiding in the grass?
Did you hear chirping?
This Red-Legged Grasshopper lives in grasslands and eats grass.
Red-Legged Grasshoppers use their long legs to jump from grass to grass.
This bird is called the Grasshopper Sparrow.
Grasshopper Sparrows have a pointy beak. This helps them eat their favorite food, grasshoppers.
Grasshopper Sparrows build their nests on the ground. They use grasses to build their nests.
This is a picture of a Grasshopper Sparrow nest:
Copyright Green Sparrow Arts
This animal is called a Red Fox.
Red Foxes live in grasslands and other ecosystems. They will eat small birds, like the Grasshopper Sparrow. They also eat mice and other rodents.
Red Foxes use their large ears to hear their prey running in the grass and underground.
This bird is called a Northern Harrier.The Northern Harrier is a raptor, which means it hunts other animals.
Northern Harriers will eat Grasshopper Sparrows, grasshoppers, mice, and other small animals.
Stop 4: Grasslands Near Me
We learned that grasslands are home to amazing plants, animals, insects, and birds.
Click and drag the picture to look around the grassland.
Did you know that there are grasslands in New York City?
There are grassland ecosystems in Staten Island and Brooklyn. All the plants and animals we learned about today live in the city!
Click on the green shapes to learn more about grasslands near you.
Thanks for coming to visit the grasslands at Freshkills Park!
