Roadsides, fields, shores, meadows, savannas – almost anywhere in open places.

A most complex and intricate species; Darbyshire & Pavlick (2007) recognize 10 subspecies. We have not attempted to assign Michigan material to subspecies. It is possible that both native and introduced strains are included in our material, however, the earliest collection is from "pastures and along roadsides" in Keweenaw Co. in 1890.

The youngest green shoots available should be examined for the distinctive closed sheaths of this species. In F. rubra there is a strong tendency for the lowermost panicle branches (at least one of them) to be 5 (rarely only 4) mm or more long before the first pedicel; whereas in F. saximontana and F. trachyphylla, the lowermost panicle branches are usually all less than 5 (rarely 7) mm long before the first (sometimes aborted) pedicel. Festuca rubra, unlike F. trachyphylla and F. saximontana, is sometimes conspicuously rhizomatous, especially in lawns, and areas with light, sandy soils.