Did you know that the greatest threat to Massasaugas is the loss of habitat due to succession and invasive plant species?
Without management, fields become overgrown with woody species, reducing their suitability for grassland-loving species.
Succession is the (natural) process of areas becoming forested. Massasaugas require areas dominated by herbaceous vegetation (grasses, forbs, and sedges). If an area is allowed to turn into a forest, it will eliminate the habitat necessary for the Massasauga.
Exotic invasive plant species can also greatly degrade or even eliminate Massasaugas. Species like Reed Canary Grass, Phragmites, and Buckthorn can take over fields and turn them into monocultures that lack the different microhabitats required by Massasaugas and their prey.
-
- Reed Canary Grass.
-
- Phragmites.
-
- Buckthorn.
It’s not just Massasaugas that are threatened by succession and invasive species, though! Many other species rely on these increasingly rare habitats. In fact, the majority of declining bird species in Ohio are also associated with grasslands and habitat loss is a major cause of their declines. And many turtles, frogs, and other snakes have suffered as Ohio has increasingly become a state with three predominant land-uses: Human-developed (cities, homes, and roads), agriculture, and forest.
Woodcock commonly live, nest, and rear their young in the same habitat as the Massasauga.
Because this habitat is so important to so many species of wildlife, and because Ohio is 95% privately-owned, there are a lot of resources to help private landowners create, maintain, and manage early-successional habitat on their property. These programs range from technical assistance to cost-share programs offered by several agencies to encourage wildlife habitat on private property.
Want to know more about Massasauga conservation in Ohio?
Download the Ohio Massasauga Conservation Plan.
Don’t know where to start? Contact us!
If you have Massasaugas on or around your property and would like to discuss what you can do to maintain great wildlife habitat, we’d love to hear from you.