Bluebunch wheatgrass is the key indicator species of the grassland ecosystem. Because of its early growing season and high quality forage traits it is susceptible to overgrazing by cattle. All Interior native peoples used layers of this grass for drying soopolallie berries. The most noticeable characteristic of bluebunch wheatgrass is the curled leaves from the previous years growth. In order to capture the beauty of these curls, I photographed them with a macro lens against the bright orange ball of the setting sun.