Foxtail barley

About

Foxtail barley is a native, short-lived bunchgrass with pretty, silky seedheads that are a real hazard for pets. The long, barbed awns break off and work into dogs' and cats' ears, eyes, noses and paws, and also injure livestock.

Also called foxtail, squirreltail, skunktail

How to identify it

Look for

It grows in bluish-green clumps up to about 2 feet tall. The nodding, feathery seedhead is up to 5 inches long, packed with fine, barbed awns 1 to 2.5 inches long. As it ripens, pieces break off from the top so the head gets shorter.

Look-alikes

UC IPM notes hare barley (it has clear ear-like flaps where the leaf meets the stem) and volunteer wheat look similar. Medusahead looks similar too, but its awns stay attached to the seed when it falls.

Where it grows

Moist and salty or alkaline soils: ditches, wet meadows, seasonally flooded spots, pastures, roadsides and bare ground with little competition.

When

It greens up in spring and sets seed from late May through August, earlier at low elevations; the dry heads are most dangerous to pets in summer.

How it spreads

By seed that breaks apart and sticks to fur and clothing, and the clumps widen by tillering.

Most common in

What to do, gentlest first

Start at the top. Weed killers are a last step; always read and follow the label.

1. Dry out wet spots and fill bare ground Prevent

   Improve drainage so soil isn't saturated in spring, and reseed bare or salty spots with competitive grasses.

2. Mow early or dig out clumps before seed By hand

   Mow in spring before seedheads form, and dig out scattered clumps, then reseed. Remove foxtail plants from yards where pets play.

   Wear gloves and bag seedheads so the awns don't spread.

3. Early grazing on pasture Natural enemies

   Colorado State notes intense grazing early in the season, before seed forms, can reduce it.

   Don't graze or feed hay once awns form.

4. Spot-spray glyphosate Conventional spray

   Spot-treat scattered plants with glyphosate while green and growing, then reseed.

   Read and follow the label. Many lawn weed killers also kill garden plants, so keep spray and drift off beds and vegetables. Glyphosate kills lawn grass too.

Uses, wildlife and pets

Pets

Not listed by the ASPCA. Its awns can lodge in the skin, mouth, nose and eyes of animals, and hay with it shouldn't be fed. Check dogs and cats after walks: UC Davis vet school says foxtail-type seeds work into ears, eyes, noses, paws and skin. Watch for head shaking, sneezing, pawing, limping or eye swelling, and see a vet if a seed is embedded.