Foxtail or wild barley: nature’s most expensive herb
Living in the country has its good and bad points, its ups and downs, its recreation and its chores. The calm and peaceful days are only marked by the chirps and songs of the birds; nights are silent save for the occasional horse sneeze. The country is beautiful, breathtaking views to see, but maintaining rural property can be challenging.
The biggest challenge (and I dare anyone to find a bigger one) is spring weeds. Not those strange criminals that sprout up in the middle of a well-kept lawn (we don’t have a lawn); real weeds. The stubborn, aggressive and vindictive type. The backbone of weeds is the wild barley, or foxtail, where we live. You poison it, it grows back. You cut it, three grow back in place. You hit him with a grass trimmer, he takes revenge.
The main weapon of the foxtail is its seed heads or edges. They transport the seed in fur, wool, socks, hair, tires, noses, toes, or any other vehicle the foxtail chooses. The barbed fibers on the seed head act like little hooks, pushing the seed head into the ground, skin, or hair. It is quite common for veterinarians to remove foxtails from the ears, nose, toes, and body tissues of animals (primarily cats and dogs). It can be an expensive procedure and almost always very unpleasant for the animal involved.
The best defense against this weed threat is prevention. Mowing or cutting weeds (or hiring goats … we’re not kidding). In early spring, when wild barley appears as an innocent and tasty herb for horses and goats, the plant is harmless. If allowed to advance to the seed stage, it will sprout green ridges that are still quite harmless. However, if the grass is allowed to dry to its dreaded golden state, the canopy turns into a tiny missile launcher; brush it with new socks on and you will have fox tails on the terry cloth until the socks are worn and done. The firing action is what also launches the seed heads into the ears of dogs and cats, so that they nestle there against an eardrum until they are removed by the vet’s catheter and forceps.
Mind you, the offensive arsenal of weed poison (not popular if one has animals in residence) and weed cutters is only partially effective. Cut the plants, they grow more in their place, with more edges than before. Sometimes the fox tails will fly towards the ears and nose of the trimmer operator. It goes without saying that sturdy pants and soft boots are a must. Those seeds fly out of the head of a lawn mower and stick to anything on the firing range.
The coup de grace for the high cost of this weed is its final revenge: weed cutters tend to hit and throw rocks. A broken window here and there in the house seems to make the foxtails laugh. In one reported household, foxtails have racked up a $ 1,000.00 bill due to vet bills for foxtails in dogs’ ears, and (spring is not over yet) a broken window. Yeah right. The foxtails laugh.