grass's upright growth pattern places its growing point off the soil surface onto its stem, so leaving 25 cm of stubble is important for regrowth. When harvesting switchgrass for hay, the first cutting occurs at the late boot stage – around mid-June. This should allow for a second cutting in mid-August, leaving enough regrowth to survive the winter. Game cover Switchgrass is well known among wildlife conservationists as good forage and habitat for upland game bird species, such as pheasant, quail, grouse, and wild turkey, and song birds, with its plentiful small seeds and tall cover. A study published in 2015 has shown that switchgrass, when grown in a traditional monoculture, has an adverse impact on some wildlife. Depending on how thickly switchgrass is planted, and what it is partnered with, it also offers excellent forage and cover for other wildlife across the country. For those producers who have switchgrass stands on their farm, it is considered an environmental and aesthetic benefit due to the abundance of wildlife attracted by the switchgrass stands. Some members of Prairie Lands Bio-Products, Inc. in Iowa have even turned this benefit into a profitable business by leasing their switchgrass land for hunting during the proper seasons. The benefits to wildlife can be extended even in large-scale agriculture through the process of strip harvesting, as recommended by The Wildlife Society, which suggests that rather than harvesting an entire field at once, strip harvesting could be practiced so that the entire habitat is not removed, thereby protecting the wildlife inhabiting the switchgrass. Ornamental cultivars Panicum virgatum cultivars are used as ornamental plants in gardens and landscaping. The following have gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit:- 'Dallas Blues' "Heavy Metal' 'Hänse Harms' 'Northwind' 'Shenandoah' See also Algae fuel Backyard Wildlife Habitat Big Bluestem Brachypodium distachyon Butanol fuel Cellulosic ethanol Energy crop Energy-efficient landscaping Natural landscaping Phytoremediation Wildlife garden References Référence Seedenergies: Technic Panicum virgatum, switchgrass Crops Photos External links Seedenergies: Technic Panicum virgatum, switchgrass Parcelles en France Technique (fr) Switchgrass Production in Ontario: A Management Guide Switchgrass Variety Choice in France (fr) Vermont Grass Energy Symposium Technic Panicum virgatum, switchgrass (fr) Switchgrass for Bioheat in Canada (agriwebinar presentation) Establishing and Managing Switchgrass as an Energy Crop Optimization of Switchgrass Management for Commercial Fuel Pellet Production Management Guide for the Production of Switchgrass for Biomass Fuel in Southern Iowa Switchgrass as a Bioenergy Crop Switchgrass