Quail Plant of the Week Quiz: Grasses

QUAIL PLANT OF THE WEEK QUIZ

GRASSES

Scaled Quail - Bettina Arigoni CC BY 2.0

scroll over these interactive elements for hints

Question 1

Switchgrass

Sand Dropseed

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Scientific name

Drew Avery CC BY 2.0

USFWS Mountain-Prairie

Little Bluestem

Incorrect

Incorrect

Has blue-green leaves and stems in early summer that turn reddish-brown by late fall

Native, perennial grass that grows between 2-4 feet tall

Schizachyrium scoparium

One of the "big four" tall grass species in Texas - the other three are Switchgrass, Indiangrass, and Big Bluestem

Correct!

Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)

- provides nesting cover for quail -

Next question

Drew Avery CC BY 2.0

USFWS Mountain-Prairie

Click here to review the YouTube video.

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Scientific name

Fringed Signalgrass

Question 2

William R. Carr

Texas Wintergrass

Silver Bluestem

Alternate leaf arrangements

Small hairs on leaf bases and sheaths

Urochloa ciliatissima

Many spikelets on the inflorescence

Incorrect

Incorrect

Fringed Signalgrass (Urochloa ciliatissima)

Next question

Correct!

William R. Carr

- provides nesting cover and harbors insects for quail to eat in addition to its seeds -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

Switchgrass

Sand Dropseed

Question 3

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Scientific name

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

Andrey Zharkikh CC BY 2.0

Perennial Threeawn

Incorrect

Pyramid-shaped seed heads have purple spikelets

Panicum virgatum

Grows in clumps, typically between 3-6 feet tall

Incorrect

Correct!

Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum)

Next question

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

Andrey Zharkikh CC BY 2.0

- provides seeds and nesting cover for quail -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

Sand Dropseed

Kleingrass

Question 4

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Scientific name

Forest and Kim Starr CC BY 2.0

Sideoats Grama

Incorrect

Photo by Harry Rose (CC BY 2.0)Fine, scattered hairs are present at the leaf margins

Tufted seedhead produces hard, slick seeds

Panicum coloratum

Grows in bunches between 24-60 inches tall

Incorrect

Correct!

Kleingrass (Panicum coloratum)

Next question

Forest and Kim Starr CC BY 2.0

- provides nesting substrate and food for quail -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

Sand Dropseed

Switchgrass

Question 5

Scientific name

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

TAMU Uvalde Research & Extension Center

Plains Bristlegrass

Incorrect

Each plant has a "flag leaf" pointing out at a right angle from the stem

Distinct tuft of hair can be found around the collar of the leaf sheath

Sporobolus cryptandrus

Can grow up to 4 feet tall

Incorrect

Correct!

Next question

Sand Dropseed (Sporobolus cryptandrus)

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

TAMU Uvalde Research & Extension Center

- excellent source of forage for livestock, seeds are sometimes eaten by quail -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

Scientific name

Question 6

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Perennial Threeawn

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

Plains Bristlegrass

Texas Wintergrass

Grows between 14-31 inches tall

Three awns/bristles grow from each seedhead in a cluster

Aristida purpurea

Perennial bunchgrass

Incorrect

Incorrect

Next question

Correct!

Perennial Threeawn (Aristida purpurea)

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

- provides nesting cover for northern bobwhite, scaled, and Montezuma quail -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

Kleingrass

Scientific name

Question 7

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Silver Bluestem

Sideoats Grama

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

Flickr: lostinfog CC BY-SA 2.0

Incorrect

State grass of Texas

Perennial grass that flowers from July-September

Bouteloua curtipendula

Often found in the rocky soils of the Edwards Plateau and South Texas Plains

Incorrect

Next question

Correct!

Sideoats Grama (Bouteloua curtipendula)

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

Flickr: lostinfog CC BY-SA 2.0

- basketball-sized clumps can be good nesting cover for quail -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

Scientific name

Question 8

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Silver Bluestem

Little Bluestem

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

Flickr: smallcurio CC BY 2.0

Texas Wintergrass

Perennial, warm season grass

Seedhead contains silvery-white fuzzy seeds

Bothriochloa laguroides

Grows between 18-42 inches tall

Incorrect

Incorrect

Next question

Correct!

Silver Bluestem (Bothriochloa laguroides)

Matt Lavin CC BY-SA 2.0

Flickr: smallcurio CC BY 2.0

- provides excellent nesting cover for quail -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

Scientific name

Question 9

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Patrick Alexander

Plains Bristlegrass

Fringed Signalgrass

Sand Dropseed

TAMU Uvalde Research & Extension Center

A half-inch bristle can be found below each seed

The slender seedhead is about 3-5 inches in length

Setaria leucopila

Perennial bunchgrass that grows 1-4 feet tall

Incorrect

Incorrect

Next question

Correct!

Plains Bristlegrass (Setaria leucopila)

Patrick Alexander

- seeds are often eaten by quail -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

TAMU Uvalde Research & Extension Center

Scientific name

Perennial Threeawn

Question 10

Which quail-friendly plant of the week is this?

Sam C. Strickland, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Texas Wintergrass

Fringed Signalgrass

Perennial grass often found in the Edwards Plateau or South Texas Plains

Grows throughout the winter, up to 12-35 inches

Nassella leucotricha

The stiff seeds sprout long, twisted arms

Incorrect

Incorrect

Finish the quiz

Correct!

Texas Wintergrass (Nassella leucotricha)

Sam C. Strickland, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

- can provide nesting cover for quail if it does not grow too thick -

Click here to review the YouTube video.

THANK YOU

If you would like to share with us how you did, please take our quick survey here.

Funding for this lesson was provided through the Reversing the Decline of Quail Initiative and the Upland Game Bird Stamp Fund, based on a collaborative effort between Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service.

Click here to view all of our Plant of the Week videos.

Bettina Arigoni CC BY 2.0