There's Grass Under That Snow!

Hello friends! Not much of an update today, but I wanted to share how happy my sheep were to find some green stuff to nibble!

We've been having crazy yo-yo weather, so most of the snow has melted off over the last week. The paddock where the sheep got fed today hadn't been grazed for the last bit of fall, so under all the snow, there was a bit of live green grass for eating.

I'm amazed at the tenacity of this particular type of grass. I wouldn't say that it is actively growing right now, but despite the very low temperatures we've already experienced, it is crisp and alive, not soggy and brown and dead. Its called Crested Wheatgrass, and is a super drought tolerant species that was introduced to my part of the world during the Dirty Thirties. I believe it is native to Siberia? But don't quote me on that. In any case, its introduction helped slow down the erosion and soil loss experienced on the Prairies during that long, terrible drought. It's palatable for livestock grazing or hay, only moderately invasive, and handles saline soils well too.

And, it seems, stays green well into the winter!

Hawkeye, my one-eyed ewe, taking advantage of the tastiness.

Hope you had a great day out there, steemians. See you next time!