Foxtail Grass Awn

There are a few different varieties of foxtail yellow green and giant.
Foxtail grass awn. Other common names for foxtail type grasses include cheatgrass speargrass bromegrass and needlegrass. A foxtail awn is the sharp barbed seed head of a grassy plant or type of wild barley. It gets the name from the seed heads it forms which look exactly like the foxes tails. Foxtail awns present the most insidious threat to the health of dogs in the western united states.
Common examples of these weeds include foxtail and cheatgrass. The seed heads of this grass have a needle like bristle at the tip of each seed called an awn which can be dangerous for livestock and pets because awns can work their way into the animals mouth nose eyes and digestive systems. Awns of destruction for western dogs. Whether you call them awns mean seeds timothy foxtails cheat grass june grass downy brome or any other number of colloquial names to dogs they generally mean one thing and that s trouble.
The foxtail barley is emerging and it s easy to spot in the roadside medians right now as the feathery tops are a very pale gold against. Grass awns are the seed pods of certain tall grasses that grow as invasive weeds. The sharp needles on the seed heads of the foxtail plant can also work their way into any part of your dog from the nose to between the toes and inside the ears eyes and mouth. These grasses can be found throughout north america and are especially prevalent in the western united states.
An awn is a hairy or bristle like appendage growing from the ear or flower of barley rye and many types of widely growing grasses. Each individual seed contains spikes with barbs called awns which can lodge in horses mouths and gums or even scratch an eye. These weedy grasses form seed pods that dry out and scatter in the summer. Foxtails are grasses with seed awns that are extremely dangerous to dogs.
The yellow foxtail is the smallest and the most prevalent in yards and lawns. Cheatgrass is another type of grass awn known to be dangerous to dogs health. Foxtail is an annual type of grass that rears its head in the summer months. Here is how to identify foxtails get them off your property and protect your dog.
These awns can work their way through the tissue causing lesions and infections. Foxtail barley june 15 2011 by the grass awn project leave a comment we ve had a cold spring in southern wi so plants may be behind schedule here.