By definition, all Loess Hills grassland animals were once species of native prairies. Today some may find land altered by agriculture or roadside ditches an appealing substitute. Thus, Franklin’s ground squirrel still inhabits the taller grasslands of abandoned pastures, ungrazed prairies, and roadsides, but the thirteen-lined ground squirrel, a short-grass species, has benefited from cattle grazing. It has increased its numbers in recent years. Although native prairie is most appealing to the plains pocket mouse and western harvest mouse, the meadow vole is abundant in hay fields, and the northern grasshopper mouse seems to prefer cultivated fields.
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