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No plant defines the West more than sagebrush. Its silvery-gray foliage stretches to the horizon, creating an endless sea that spans 150 million acres. To some, this desert-like landscape seems barren, nearly devoid of life. The reality could not be more different. Sagebrush communities are incredibly diverse and support a profusion of animals. Lewis and Clark documented this abundance, from the pronghorn that feed on sagebrush in the winter to the sage grouse that mate amid it.
Known for its pleasant aroma, sagebrush is a keystone species, which means a multitude of animals need it to survive. It provides much-needed food and cover:
- Its leaves are highly nutritious for wildlife, providing vital winter forage for pronghorn, mule deer, sage grouse, small mammals, elk and bighorn sheep.
- The pygmy rabbit lives in it. The sagebrush vole feeds on its roots, and the sagebrush lizard preys on insects that live around sagebrush.
In all, the number of species that flourish because of sagebrush is staggering:
- 100 birds
- 70 mammals
- 23 reptile and amphibians
- 31 types of fungus
- 52 aphids, which are small plant-sucking insects
- 3 grasshoppers
- 72 spiders
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In Their Own Words... |
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Of “this last the Atelope is very fond; they feed on it, and perfume the hair of their foreheads and necks with it by rubing against it."
~ Lewis, writing about one species of sagebrush | |
This delicate balance is in jeopardy. Non-native plant species, often called invasives, are pushing out sagebrush. Overgrazing has altered some of communities, as have increasing pressures from development.
The Conservancy is working across state lines to protect sagebrush communities and the animals that depend on them. From Crooked Creek in Idaho to Oregon’s Boardman Grasslands, sagebrush ecosystems are critical to protecting and preserving this complex web of diversity. | 
