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A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass
Grass

Grass is the common word that generally describes monocotyledonous green plants. The family Poaceae are the "true grasses" and include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns ....
 and other non-woody plants (grassland
Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found....
). It may be cut for hay
Hay

Hay is a generic term for Poaceae or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, domestic goat, and sheep....
 or grazed
Grazing

Grazing generally describes a type of predation in which a herbivore feeds on plants , or more broadly on a multicellular autotrophs . Grazing differs from true predation because the organism being eaten is not death, and it differs from parasitism as the two organisms do not symbiosis, nor is the grazer necessarily so limited in what it can...
 by livestock
Livestock

Livestock is the term used to refer to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce things such as food or fibre, or for its labour....
 such as cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
, sheep
Sheep

#REDIRECT Domestic sheep...
 or goat
Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae....
s.

Agricultural meadow
Especially in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, the term meadow is commonly used in its original sense to mean a haymeadow; grassland cut annually for hay
Hay

Hay is a generic term for Poaceae or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, domestic goat, and sheep....
 (Old English
Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century....
 mędwe). "Pasture
Pasture

Pasture is land with herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulate livestock as part of a farm or ranch. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses....
" is used in contrast for land which is primarily grazed, which may include grassland ("grass pasture"), but also includes non-grassland habitats such as heathland, moorland
Moorland

File:Pennine scenery.jpgMoorland or moor is a type of Habitat found in upland areas, characterised by low growing vegetation on acidic soils....
 and wood pasture
Wood pasture

Wood pasture is a historical European land management system in which open woodland provided shelter and forage for grazing animals, particularly sheep and cattle, as well as woodland products such as timber for construction and fuel, coppiced stems for wattle and daub and charcoal making and pollarded poles....
.






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Encyclopedia


A meadow is a field vegetated primarily by grass
Grass

Grass is the common word that generally describes monocotyledonous green plants. The family Poaceae are the "true grasses" and include most plants grown as grains, for pasture, and for lawns ....
 and other non-woody plants (grassland
Grassland

Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found....
). It may be cut for hay
Hay

Hay is a generic term for Poaceae or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, domestic goat, and sheep....
 or grazed
Grazing

Grazing generally describes a type of predation in which a herbivore feeds on plants , or more broadly on a multicellular autotrophs . Grazing differs from true predation because the organism being eaten is not death, and it differs from parasitism as the two organisms do not symbiosis, nor is the grazer necessarily so limited in what it can...
 by livestock
Livestock

Livestock is the term used to refer to a domesticated animal intentionally reared in an agricultural setting to produce things such as food or fibre, or for its labour....
 such as cattle
Cattle

Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domestication ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. They are raised as livestock for meat , dairy products , leather and as draft animals ....
, sheep
Sheep

#REDIRECT Domestic sheep...
 or goat
Goat

The domestic goat is a subspecies of goat domesticated from the wild goat of southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the Bovidae family and is closely related to the sheep: both are in the goat-antelope subfamily Caprinae....
s.

Agricultural meadow


Especially in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom , the UK or Britain,is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe....
 and Ireland
Ireland

Ireland is the List of islands by area in Europe, and the twentieth-largest island in the world. It lies to the north-west of continental Europe and is surrounded by hundreds of islands and islet....
, the term meadow is commonly used in its original sense to mean a haymeadow; grassland cut annually for hay
Hay

Hay is a generic term for Poaceae or legumes that have been cut, dried, and stored for use as animal fodder, particularly for grazing animals like cattle, horses, domestic goat, and sheep....
 (Old English
Old English language

Old English is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written in parts of what are now England and south-eastern Scotland between the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century....
 mędwe). "Pasture
Pasture

Pasture is land with herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulate livestock as part of a farm or ranch. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses....
" is used in contrast for land which is primarily grazed, which may include grassland ("grass pasture"), but also includes non-grassland habitats such as heathland, moorland
Moorland

File:Pennine scenery.jpgMoorland or moor is a type of Habitat found in upland areas, characterised by low growing vegetation on acidic soils....
 and wood pasture
Wood pasture

Wood pasture is a historical European land management system in which open woodland provided shelter and forage for grazing animals, particularly sheep and cattle, as well as woodland products such as timber for construction and fuel, coppiced stems for wattle and daub and charcoal making and pollarded poles....
. "Grassland" is used to include both meadow and grass pasture.

Transitional meadows


A transitional meadow occurs when a field
Field (agriculture)

In agriculture, a field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crop ...
, pasture
Pasture

Pasture is land with herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulate livestock as part of a farm or ranch. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses....
, farmland, or other cleared land is no longer farmed or heavily grazed
Grazing

Grazing generally describes a type of predation in which a herbivore feeds on plants , or more broadly on a multicellular autotrophs . Grazing differs from true predation because the organism being eaten is not death, and it differs from parasitism as the two organisms do not symbiosis, nor is the grazer necessarily so limited in what it can...
 and starts to overgrow. Once meadow conditions are achieved, however, the condition is only temporary because the early colonizers will be shaded out when woody plant
Woody plant

A woody plant is a Vascular tissue plant that has a Perennial plant Plant stem that is above ground and covered by a layer of thickened bark. Woody plants are adapted to survive from one year to the next; the stem supports continued vegetative growth above ground from one year to next....
s become well-established.

In North America
North America

North America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and almost totally in the western hemisphere....
 prior to European
European people

European people may refer to:*European ethnic groups*Demographics of Europe*people from Europe*people from the European Union*People outside of Europe of European descent...
 colonization, Algonquian
Algonquian peoples

The Algonquian are one of the most populous and widespread North American Indigenous peoples of the Americas groups, with tribes originally numbering in the hundreds, and hundreds of thousands who still identify with various Algonquian peoples....
, Iroquois
Iroquois

The Iroquois Confederacy is a group of First Nations/Native Americans in the United States that originally consisted of five nations: the Mohawk nation, the Oneida tribe, the Onondaga , the Cayuga nation, and the Seneca nation....
 and other Native American
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 people regularly cleared areas of forest to create transitional meadows where deer
Deer

Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae . A number of broadly similar animals from related families within the order even-toed ungulate are often also called deer....
 could find nutrition
Nutrition

Nutrition is the provision, to cells and organisms, of the materials necessary to support life. Many common health problems can be prevented or alleviated with good nutrition....
 and be hunted
Deer hunting

Deer hunting is the activity or sport of pursuing deer which began as early as 7th millennium BC in North American history There are numerous types of deer throughout the world that are hunted....
. Many places named "Deerfield
Deerfield

Deerfield is the name of many places in the United States. In some cases, these places correspond to the previous locations of "deer fields" created by Native Americans....
" are located at sites where Native Americans
Native Americans in the United States

Native Americans in the United States are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States United States, including parts of Alaska and the island state of Hawaii....
 once practised this form of land management
Land management

Land management can be defined as the process of management the use and development of Land resources in a Sustainable development way. Land resources are used for a variety of purposes which interact and may compete with one another; therefore, it is desirable to plan and manage all uses in an integrated manner....
.

Perpetual meadow


A perpetual meadow is one in which environmental factors restrict the growth of woody plants indefinitely. For example:

  • Alpine meadow
    Alpine meadow

    An alpine meadow is a high-altitude grassland plant Community located in an alpine climate, above the treeline of a mountain.Alpine meadows, along with sub-alpine meadows, are part of the Montane grasslands and shrublands biome as defined by the World Wildlife Fund They form where sediments from the weathering of rocks has produced soils...
    s occur at high elevations and are maintained by harsh climatic conditions
  • Coastal meadows
    Coast

    The coast is defined as that part of the land adjoining or near the ocean or its saltwater arms. A precise line that can be called a coastline cannot be determined due to the process of tides....
     are maintained by salt sprays
    Seawater

    Seawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5%, or 35 parts per thousand . This means that every 1 kg of seawater has approximately 35 grams of sea salt ....
  • Desert meadows
    Désert

    ?D?sert? is ?milie Simon's debut single, released in October 2002. The song was a huge success both critically and commercially in her homeland....
     are restricted by low precipitation
    Precipitation (meteorology)

    File:MeanMonthlyP.gifIn meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of Atmosphere water vapor that is deposited on the earth's surface....
  • Prairies are maintained by periods of severe drought
    Drought

    A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation ....
     and are subject to wildfires
  • Wet meadow
    Wet meadow

    A wet meadow is a semi-wetland meadow which is saturation with water throughout much of the year. Wet meadows may occur because of poor drainage or the receipt of large amounts of water from rain or melted snow....
    s are semi-wetland
    Wetland

    File:Mangrove trees in Everglades.JPGA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with moisture either permanently or seasonally. Such areas may also be covered partially or completely by shallow pools of water....
     areas saturated with water throughout much of the year.


See also



  • Coastal plain
    Coastal plain

    A coastal plain is an area of flat, low-lying land adjacent to a seacoast and separated from the interior by other features. One of the world's longest coastal plains is located in western South America....
  • Field
    Field (agriculture)

    In agriculture, a field refers generally to an area of land enclosed or otherwise and used for agricultural purposes such as:* Cultivating crop ...
  • Flooded grasslands and savannas
    Flooded grasslands and savannas

    Flooded grasslands and savannas are a biome, generally located at subtropical and tropical latitudes, where which are flooded seasonally or year-round....
  • Flood-meadow
    Flood-meadow

    A flood-meadow is an area of grassland or pasture beside a river, subject to seasonal flooding. Flood-meadows are distinct from water-meadows in that the latter are artificially created and maintained, with flooding controlled on a seasonal and even daily basis....
  • Grassland
    Grassland

    Grasslands are areas where the vegetation is dominated by grasses and other herbaceous plants . However, sedge and rush families can also be found....
  • Marsh
    Marsh

    In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland which is subject to frequent or continuous flood . Typically the water is shallow and features Poaceaees, Juncaceaees, Phragmites, typhas, Cyperaless, and other herbaceous plants....
  • Pampa
    Pampa

    The Pampas are the fertile South American lowlands that include the Argentina provinces of Buenos Aires Province, La Pampa Province, Santa Fe Province, Argentina, and C?rdoba Province, Argentina, most of Uruguay, and the southernmost end of Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, covering more than ....
  • Pasture
    Pasture

    Pasture is land with herbaceous vegetation cover used for grazing of ungulate livestock as part of a farm or ranch. Prior to the advent of factory farming, pasture was the primary source of food for grazing animals such as cattle and horses....
  • Plain
    Plain

    In geography, a plain is an area of landscape with relatively high relief, as well as flat. Prairies and steppes are types of plains, and the archetype for a plain is often thought of as a grassland, but plains in their natural state may also be covered in shrublands, woodland and forest, or vegetation may be absent in the case of sandy or...
  • Plateau
    Plateau

    In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plateau or tableland, is an area of highland , usually consisting of relatively flat terrain....
  • Prairie
    Prairie

    Prairie refers to temperate grasslands of North America. These are areas of low topographic relief that historically supported grasses and herbs, with few or no trees, having a generally mesic habitat climate....
  • Rangeland
    Rangeland

    this is not realRangeland refers to expansive, mostly unimproved lands on which a significant proportion of the natural vegetation is native grasses, grass-like plants, forbs, and shrubs....
  • Savanna
    Savanna

    A savanna, or savannah, is a tropical, subtropical or temperate woodland ecosystem characterized by the trees being sufficiently small or widely spaced so that the Canopy does not close....
  • Sods
    Sods

    Sods is a term used in the Allegheny Mountains of eastern West Virginia for a mountain top meadow or bog, in an area that is otherwise generally forested....
  • Steppe
    Steppe

    In physical geography, a steppe , pronounced , is a grassland plain without trees . The prairie can be considered a steppe. It may be semi-desert, or covered with Poaceae or shrubs or both, depending on the season and latitude....
  • Tundra
    Tundra

    In physical geography, tundra is an biome where the tree growth is hindered by low temperatures and short growing seasons. The term tundra comes from Kildin Sami tund?r, which means "uplands, treeless mountain tract." There are two types of tundra: Arctic tundra and alpine tundra....
  • Water-meadow
    Water-meadow

    A water-meadow is an area of grassland subject to controlled irrigation to increase agricultural productivity. Water-meadows were mainly used in Europe from the 16th to the early 20th centuries....
  • Wet meadow
    Wet meadow

    A wet meadow is a semi-wetland meadow which is saturation with water throughout much of the year. Wet meadows may occur because of poor drainage or the receipt of large amounts of water from rain or melted snow....
  • Veld
    Veld

    The term Veld refers primarily to the wide open rural spaces of South Africa or southern Africa and in particular to certain flatter areas or districts covered in grass or low scrubland....


External links


  • (Ottawa Canada)
  • (Ottawa Canada)