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Environment Blogs

patch of cordgrass among cattails

Learn how to identify Prairie Cordgrass

Grasses at a Glance
While visiting a nature center in Missouri, I was excited to find that they included several native grasses in their landscaping, including Little Bluestem, Prairie Dropseed, and Big Bluestem. But one of the most abundant grasses they used throughout their parking area was Prairie Cordgrass. This...
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field of squirreltail barley

Identifying squirreltail barley

Grasses at a Glance
While working in tallgrass prairie restorations in central Minnesota, I was responsible for identifying and recording presence and abundance of native and non-native plants. I remember coming upon a clearing that was full of squirreltail barley, Hordeum jubatum, which seemed to form a...
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Clumps of feather reed grass in a garden

Taking a look at Feather Reed Grass

Grasses at a Glance
When it comes to plant selections in landscaping, much of the focus is typically put on trees, shrubs, and showy flowers. But take a closer look at many landscaped areas and you’ll often find a few grasses. Grasses are underappreciated but can often provide four season interest in the landscape....
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grass flowers

Time to think about crabgrass

Grasses at a Glance
Crabgrass isn’t usually a problem until summertime, but effective management starts this spring. Many cultural choices, like how often and how high you mow your lawn, can impact the ability of crabgrass to establish.  About crabgrassThere are several species of crabgrass in Illinois, but the...
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two clumps of grass in a pollinator garden

Role of grasses in a pollinator garden

Grasses at a Glance
A year ago my family moved. As a gardener, I was looking for a house with a big yard with lots of potential to plant huge gardens. We found a home with almost a blank slate of a yard – after spending a few weeks removing invasive trees and shrubs we were ready to establish landscape beds and get...
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landscape view of a wetland with cattails and bluejoint grass

Bluejoint Grass, a grass for wetter soils

Grasses at a Glance
About a month ago I was in the Chicago region for a conference, and I took the opportunity to stop by Volo Bog. If you’ve never been, this unique spot is home to an open-water quaking bog, which you can see if you hike the boardwalk loop. While hiking I found some clumps of Bluejoint Grass, which...
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