26 NEBRASKAland • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2016
C
attle are seen by some people as big, dumb, ugly
brutes that just stomp around and eat every plant
they see. In fact, as many wildlife biologists know, a
cow can actually be an incredible habitat artist. A regular
Micowlangelo or Jackson
Bullock. Vincent Van
Cow? Georgia O'Beefe?
The artistry of cattle
helps meet the needs of
the diverse ecological
communities that live
in grasslands. Every
animal species (including
invertebrates) has its
own individual habitat
preferences. Some species
seek out tall, dense
vegetation, some like
their vegetation short
and sparse. Other species
look for something
in between – or need
multiple habitat types,
depending upon the time
of season. By providing
a variety of habitat
patches representing
the entire spectrum of
vegetation structure types,
land managers create
hospitable places for most
wildlife and invertebrate
species to live. Ideally,
the habitat structure of
each patch changes from
year to year, resulting
in a kind of shifting mosaic of habitat patches across the
landscape.
Mowing and burning are important strategies for wildlife
managers, but both are mostly non-selective. When a
prairie is mowed or burned, all the vegetation is affected
simultaneously, and the overall habitat structure is fairly
homogenous. Cattle, despite derogatory comments to the
contrary, are smarter than a mower blade, and make choices
about which plants they eat. They are very good at selecting
the most nutritious plants at any particular time, so while
they might have general preferences, their diet selection
changes day by day. In June, for example, a cow might chew
big bluestem plants right down to the ground, but in late
summer when big bluestem is less tasty, the same cow will
ignore it in favor of other options. It's not unusual for a cow
to walk past sunflowers for months without giving them a
second glance and then spend a whole morning eating every
No mower can be as selective as cattle can be as they pick out
the plants they do and don't want to graze.
Story and photos by Chris Helzer
Habitat
Artists
