Black Tailed Prairie Dog Black-Footed Ferret Ferruginous Hawk Mountain
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Black tailed prairie dog Cynomys ludovicianus Prairie rattlesnake Crotalus viridis Live in short and mixed-grass prairies, and prefer ones that have been grazed. Prefer Dine mostly on small mammals, and occasion- grasses in the summer, and switch to plants ally on frogs and lizards. with thick underground roots in the fall and winter. Black-footed ferret Deer mouse Mustela nigripes Peromyscus maniculatus Nocturnal and solitary, over 90% of its diet is Nocturnal, reproduce year-round, eat seeds, prairie dogs. fruits, arthropods. Ferruginous hawk Badger Buteo regalis Taxidea taxus Endemic to interior North America. Catches Nocturnal and carnivorous. Dines on small, small and medium-sized mammals, also birds ground-dwelling mammals. and insects. Mountain plover Western meadowlark Charadrius montanus Sturnella neglecta A shore bird that prefers open, dry areas. Makes a grassy nest, feeds on seeds and Feeds on insects and other small arthropods. insects. Often associates with cattle. Pronghorn Burrowing owl Antilocapra americana Athene cunicularia Swift herbivores, prefer shrubs, wildflowers Feed on large insects and small rodents. Fre- and lichen to grass. quently lives in abandoned prairie dog bur- rows. Puts dung next to its home to attract beetles, which are then eaten. Swift fox Darkling beetle Vulpes velox Eleodes sutralis An omnivore, it feeds on grasses and fruits as Larvae live in soil and eat roots, seeds, and well as carrion and insects. Dens in open sites detritus. with sandy soils. Blue grama grass Painted lady butterfly Bouteloua gracilis Vanessa virginiensis Both cold and drought tolerant, this is the Larvae feed on various wildflowers, especially most productive grass in short grass prairies. ones in the Sunflower family. Adults daintily sip nectar. Prairie junegrass Coyote Koeleria macrantha Canis latrans A prairie bunchgrass that blooms in June and Hunts small and medium-sized mammals, July. birds, reptiles and insects. Also eats fruit, veg- etables and carrion. Western wheatgrass Tumbleweed shield lichen Elymus smithii Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa An abundant, cool season grass tolerant of Lichen that blows across soils and alkaline soils. accumulates in drifts where vegetation is sparse. Eaten by pronghorn, but toxic to elk. Plains milkweed Scarlet globemallow Asclepias pumila Sphaeralcea coccinea Milkweeds contain toxins that make them Highly drought tolerant wildflower has thick, inedible to most herbivores. Butterflies and fleshy roots. other insects like the nectar. Flabellate grasshopper Ground spider Melanoplus occidentalis Gnaphoidae Eggs overwinter in the soil and hatch in the Live under rocks and in burrows, where they spring. Adults are present July and August. capture and devour insects. Likes to eat pricklypear cactus and other wild- flowers. Spotted gayfeather Big sagebrush Liatris spicata Artemisia tridentata Member of the Sunflower family with many Shrubby member of the Sunflower family, eaten small prurple flowers and a large taproot. by pronghorn, deer and insects. provides shelter for many small animals. Plains pricklypear Harvester ant Opuntia polyacantha Pogonomyrmex spp. Spines protect this drought-tolerant plant Live in large, deep colonies where they store from many large herbivores, but prairie dogs seeds for food. Eaten by horned lizards and and insects eat it anyway. wasps. Robber fly Short-horned lizard Laphria spp. Phrynosoma hernandesi Flies that look like bees, but are really preda- A predator that stands still until an insect walks tors that feed on many kinds of insects. by, then snaps it up quickly. Like ants best, but also eat beetles and grasshoppers. Hide under bushes. Spider wasp Meadow mushroom Pompilidae Agaricus campestris Predators that capture spiders to feed to their Considered delicious by insects and many her- larvae. bivores, these mushrooms “eat” detritus. They sometimes grow in rings, where fairies are said to dance..