Bouteloua gracilis, blue grama, is a major warm season grass found throughout the Great Plains. It provides cover for nests as well as food for birds and other pollinators and small mammals. While the vast North American prairie in its original state may be lost to us, we are fortunate that a beautiful, tawny prairie grass, Bouteloua gracilis (blue grama or mosquito grass), has survived. Blonde Ambition blue grama grass (Bouteloua gracilis ‘Blonde Ambition’ PP 22,048) Perennial Height: 28-32″ Width: 28-32″ Blooms: July to October Sun: Full sun to partial shade Soil Moisture: Moderate to xeric Hardiness: USDA zones 4-9 (up to 8,000’) Culture: Clay, loam or sandy soils The plant is fairly short, reaching 10 to 20 inches with narrow basal leaves of 3 to 6 inches. Blue Grama Grass: A Field Guide. Bouteloua gracilis, the taller and more decorative of the two, has become an important ingredient in modern naturalistic garden designs:It is nicknamed “mosquito grass” because in summer its distinctive eyelash-shaped flowers are carried on delicate stems high above its clumps of grassy foliage and seem to hover in the breeze like a cloud of insects. In ancient times it was the western-most north to south boundary of the vast North American grasslands. Today much of it is given over to agriculture, mining and development, but in its original state it was the native habitat of two dominant grasses: Bouteloua gracilis, also known as blue grama or mosquito grass and buffalo grass (Bouteloua dactyloides).While the prairie in its original state may be lost to us, we are fortunate that these two plants have survived.