Type of vegetation in Nebraska? (Omaha, Grand Island: house, gated, pine)

[2112]

Is the vegetation in Nebraska mostly scrubby like it is to the south, or is it softer like it is to the north?

Thanks!

[IsThisOneTaken?]

Originally Posted by 2112

Is the vegetation in Nebraska mostly scrubby like it is to the south, or is it softer like it is to the north?

Thanks!

It varies greatly from west to east. But the corn planted across the state is all scrubby.

Natural vegitation includes mixed/shortgrass prairie in the west and tallgrass prairie in the east.

http://www.unl.edu/museum/research/botany/nebraska_vegetation.html (broken link)

http://www.unl.edu/museum/research/botany/Native_Vegetation_of_Nebraska.pdf (broken link)

[mossberg14]

Where I'm at its very silty loam, perfect for pasture/hay and cash crop if you know how to work it.

[GSL-NE]

As mentioned above, Nebraska varies greatly from east to west. And when I say Nebraska varies, I mean the east and west are from different galaxies. This goes for literally everything, vegetation included. I grew up in Omaha, as well as Grand Island (one parent in each). The east is very hilly, and "tree-y". By this I mean trees are everywhere, mostly deciduous, as well as some evergreen, like the ever-so-common-in-nebraska cedar trees. Central Nebraska (what I call everything between Grand Island and North Platte) is pancake flat around the Platte River, with similar looks as the east. However when you get to central, it's more open. A few less trees, lots less plants and more grass. When the corn is up, you can't see anything. When the corn is cut or in winter time, you can see for long ways around. Central Nebraska has large trees, but less of them than east. Get west of NP or so, and it is a barren wasteland full of brush apes and jackpine savages. Little to no trees, badlandy-bluff landscape that is brown. Not much green out west, but it is beautiful in it's own wanna-be-south-dakota way. As far as vegetation goes out west, mostly pine trees especially in the northwest, near the black hills and pine ridge area. Also in western Nebraska is red dirt, like in Colorado. Chimney rock is a good example of this. For an average sized state, it's crazy how varied it is from east to west. Hope this helps!

[SCGranny]

HEY, GSL!! You forgot the Sandhills altogether, in the North Central part of the state! Before you get to the "Badlands-y area", there are rolling hills of sand, covered in the spring with green grass, in the summer with cattle, in the fall with hay bales, and in the winter with snow. The rolling landscape reminds people of the rolling waves of the ocean. We have hawthorn and cottonwood trees around the water resources, a lot of "christmas tree" conifers that were planted for windbreaks (there's a LOT of wind out here) and people have planted apple, cherry, and plum trees that have produced for years. We even have functioning vineyards out here; and my own house has 100-year-old maples planted around it. But the indigenous are mostly cedars and cottonwoods, and not a whole lot of them. The wildgrass consists of several types; red oat is a primary one (gorgeous in the fall), but we have everything from thistles to cactus mixed in. The grasses can grow to three feet if left ungrazed, and look like endless rolling fields of wheat when the wind blows. We have dryland corn as well as irrigated cornfields out here, but not as much as back east.

[mossberg14]

In other words corn and sticks in the east, cattle ranch in the west. Central varies. As mentioned above sandhills in northwest/central.