Seed Mixes for Sage Grouse Habitat

Seed Mixes for Sage Grouse Habitat

We specialize in the seeds recommended for sage grouse habitat and carry over 350 native and introduced species. If you are a landowner in the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) or want to be, we recommend you visit the SGI website, get involved, then contact us for help with your seed needs.

Note: There are no “set” or “pre-mixed” seed mixes for Sage Grouse habitat. Every mix is different, and the species and ratios are based upon the climate, soils and ecosystem of your area. Give us a call and we will help you formulate the mix that is right for you. 

Quantity is per pound. Example: 1 = 1 lb, 2 = 2 lbs, 3 = 3lbs, etc. This is pure seed, not a live plant.



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Seed Mixes for Sage Grouse Habitat
The Sage Grouse or “greater sage-grouse” (Centrocercus urophasianus) is the largest grouse in North America. It lives in the sagebrush country of the western United States and southern Alberta and Saskatchewan, Canada. They are considered a “permanent resident, meaning they only move short distances and do not migrate. They forage on the ground and eat mainly sagebrush, but also insects and other plants. They nest on the ground under sagebrush or grass patches.Sage Grouse are notable for their elaborate courtship rituals. Each spring males congregate in leks and perform a “strutting display”. Groups of females observe these displays and select the most attractive males to mate with. The dominant male located in the center of the lek typically copulates with around 80% of the females on the lek. Males perform in leks for several hours in the early morning and evening during the spring months.In the United States the Sage Grouse is a candidate for listing under the Endangered Species Act. The leading factor in the decline of Sage Grouse populations is loss of habitat. Urban expansion, wildfires, invasive weeds and exotic grasses, and removal of the sagebrush-steppe have shrunk the habitat of the Sage Grouse and have contributed to the population decline.

Sage Grouse Initiative

The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) launched the Sage Grouse Initiative (SGI) in 2010 in an effort to restore Sage Grouse habitat and revive the declining population. The effort is largely being carried out on private lands where Sage Grouse habitats are intact and bird numbers are highest. Efforts currently under way to improve sagebrush habitat include:

  • Conifer Removal
  • Conservation Easements
  • Grazing Systems
  • Marking Fences
  • Invasive Weed Control
  • Exotic Species Control
  • Seeding Projects

How Great Basin Seed Can Help

The NRCS, universities, state agencies and Sage Grouse Initiative partners have established seed species recommended for habitat improvement. Their lists are comprised of every day seed staples here at Great Basin Seed. We specialize in the seeds recommended for sage grouse habitat. If you are a landowner in the SGI or want to be, we recommend you visit the SGI website, get involved, then contact us for help with your seed needs.

Below are a few species recommended for Seed Mixes for Sage Grouse Habitat:

Valuable Sage Grouse SpeciesScientific NameComments
Wyoming Big SagebrushArtemesia tridentata wyomingensisKey shrub species in Sage Grouse habitat
Basin Big SagebrushArtemesia tridentata tridentataKey shrub species in Sage Grouse habitat
WinterfatKrascheninnikovia lanataNative shrub /sub-shrub
Rubber RabbitbrushEricameria nauseosaNative Shrub
Needle and Thread GrassHesperostipa comataNative Grass
Western WheatgrassPascopyrum smithiiNative Grass
Thickspike WheatgrassElymus lanceolatusNative Grass
Bluebunch WheatgrassPseudoroegneria spicataNative Grass
Snake River WheatgrassElymus wawawaiensisNative Grass
Indian RicegrassAchnatherum hymenoidesNative Grass
Bottlebrush SquirreltailElymus elymoidesNative Grass
Slender WheatgrassElymus trachycaulusNative Grass
Sideoats GramaBouteloua curtipendulaNative Grass
Green NeedlegrassNassella viridulaNative Grass
Blue GramaBouteloua gracilisNative Grass
Idaho FescueFestuca idahoensisNative Grass
Galleta GrassHilaria jamesiiNative Grass
Basin WildryeLeymus cinereusNative Grass
Mountain BromeBromus marginatusNative Grass
Prairie JunegrassKoeleria macranthaNative Grass
Western YarrowAchillea millefoliumNative Forb
Perennial Gaillardia (Blanketflower)Gaillardia aristadaNative Forb

*** For more mix options click here: Pasture MixesWildflower Mixes

Who is Great Basin Seed?

Great Basin Seed is a seed company that specializes in seed sales and consultation for home, ranch, farm, range and reclamation. We have been a leader in the seed industry since 1974.

Our History

We've been in the seed business since 1974.

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Right: Company founder Lloyd and his wife Paula Stevens in a wildflower seed production field circa 1977