Northern Tallgrass Prairie

This ecoregion largely follows the Red River Valley in the Canadian province of Manitoba and the American states of North Dakota and Minnesota.

Northern Tallgrass Prairie
Tall grasses of Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve
Ecology
Realm	Nearctic
Biome	Temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands
Borders	List Canadian aspen forests and parklands Mid-Continental Canadian forests Western Great Lakes forests Upper Midwest forest-savanna transition Central tall grasslands
Bird species	212
Mammal species	63
Geography
Area	76,000 km2 (29,000 sq mi)
Countries	United States Canada
States/Provinces	Minnesota North Dakota Manitoba
Climate type	Humid continental (Dfb)
Conservation
Conservation status	Critical/Endangered
Global 200	Yes
Habitat loss	88.245%
Protected	4.21%

The Northern Tallgrass Prairie has a humid continental climate with moderate precipitation, usually between 450-700mm. Winters here are very cold, with a mean winter temperature of −12.5 °C (9.5 °F), and summers are warm, with a mean temperature of 16 °C (61 °F). The ecoregion's mean annual temperature is 2.5 °C (36 °F).

Dominant grasses include big bluestem (Andropogon gerardi), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) and Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans). In wetter areas, trembling aspen (Populus tremuloides) and bur oak (Quercus macrocarpa) can be found.

Like other North American prairie ecoregions, the Northern tall grasslands once supported large herds of bison (Bison bison) and elk (Cervus canadensis), which were hunted by the gray wolf (Canis lupus) and coyote (Canis latrans). All of these save for the coyote have been largely eliminated from the region, though the bison and wolf are recovering. Other, more common species in the ecoregion include white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), rabbit (Sylvilagus spp.), ground squirrel (Spermophilus spp.) and large populations of waterfowl.

Some protected areas of this ecoregion include:

• Manitoba Tall Grass Prairie Preserve

• Tallgrass prairie
• List of ecoregions in Canada (WWF)
• List of ecoregions in the United States (WWF)