Foxtails are not foxy at all

Satch here, and my curiosity landed me in a world of hurt! I love to run and play by the river. The downside of that is there is tall grass growing along the riverbanks. That is where the problem began. I happened to sniff up a foxtail and it infected my eye. I was miserable! Foxtails belong to the “mean seeds” group, which includes any plants that have barbed grass awns or seed heads. We can pick up a grass awn in an ear, eye, mouth, nose, or between our toes. These mean seeds can even burrow directly into our skin.