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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 14
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Eastern red cedar is a small to medium-sized tree up to 50 feet tall. It is an aromatic evergreen with a dense pyramid-shaped to cylindrical crown.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 46
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Sensitive brier has prostrate stems and seedpods covered with hooked barbs. Doubly compound, featherlike leaves close rapidly when touched or disturbed. Flower clusters are a fuchsia ball dotted with contrasting yellow stamens.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 17
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Flowering spurge may reach 3 feet tall on richer soils. Inflorescences are multibranched, with multiple flower heads per branch. Flowers have five white petals with a yellow center and average about one-third inch across.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 49
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Annual smartweeds has abundant, swollen nodes where the leaf meets the stem. Leaves are simple, alternate and parallel-veined; most are lanceolate. Flower clusters are white or pink, and at maturity the plant yields large numbers of seeds.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 20
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Goat’s rue, a member of the bean family, is readily identified by its striking flower, which consists of a cream-colored upper petal above two bright pink lower petals. Leaves are alternate, compound and usually hairy, with a pointed, hairlike tip.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 52
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Switch grass exhibits an upright, bunchy growth form. The leaves twist in a corkscrew-like pattern from the base to the tip of the blade.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 23
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Hairy lespedeza leaflets occur in threes. This perennial plant earns its name from its stem and oblong leaflets, both of which are covered with hairs.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 55
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Trailing lespedezas are small, native lespedezas with trailing stems that can readily form thick mats over bare areas if left undisturbed. The small flowers range from purple to white and can produce a large quantity of seeds.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 26
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Illinois bundleflower can be identified in summer by the doubly compound, fernlike leaves and white spherical flower heads. By fall, the stems become tough and woody, and the seedpods are distinctive, bearing a ball-shaped cluster of pods, each containing several flat, brown seeds.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 58
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Leaves of Geranium species are deeply cleft and palmately lobed. Seeds are located within the sharply pointed “crane’s bill” formed by the tubelike style of the flower.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 29
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Lambsquarters is rather nondescript and typically grows 2-6 feet tall. Leaves are triangular or kite-shaped, and their surfaces often have a powdery white appearance.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 32
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Milkpea is a herbaceous legume with a hairy surface on the top of its trilobed leaf. Stems are also hairy. Seedpods are about 2-1/2 inches long.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 35
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Osage orange grows as a medium-sized tree up to 50 feet tall. It has yellow-green fleshy fruits with a knobby surface that resembles a brain. Its alternate, simple leaves taper to a long, pointed tip.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 03
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Alfalfa leaves are divided into three leaflets, with the middle leaflet on a distinct stalk. Leaflets are serrated along the outer third to half and are somewhat elongated. Flowers are usually purple, sometimes bluish, rarely white. Fruits are usually curved or twisted.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 06
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Beggar's lice has triangular seedpods covered with dense hairs that cause them to stick to clothing. During the growing season, it can be recognized by its divided leaf and pink flower.
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Developing Effective Communications
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Most Americans probably do not appreciate the importance of communication in their personal and workday lives. Hopefully, those of us in extension work recognize the importance of good, effective communications.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 38
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Paspalums seeds are round and flattened and are neatly lined up (but sometimes overlapping slightly) on the seed stalk in two or four rows. Some paspalum species have conspicuous silky hairs at the base of the spikelet.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 09
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Several briar species grow tall canes that form large thickets of dense, prickly cover. The briars exhibit numerous five-petaled white flowers from April through June.
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Writing Columns
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Before writing a column, think about purpose, audience, content and structure. Visit our website today to learn more about writing columns.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 41
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Pokeweed leaves are smooth, oblong and usually 6 to 8 inches in length, though they may grow up to 12 inches. Stems turn bright purple as the plant matures. Clusters of succulent, shiny purple berries, about 1/4 inch in diameter, occur at the tops of the plants.
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Bait Stations for Controlling Rats and Mice
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Using bait stations to control rats and mice can be more effective and safe than using poison. Visit our website today to learn more.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 12
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Croton produces abundant seeds and is a common summer weed in pastures and other disturbed areas. A dense covering of white hairs gives croton flowers a fuzzy white appearance.
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Aging a Deer by Examining Its Jawbone
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Managing the age structure of bucks is considered very important for improving the quality of the deer herd. Visit our site to learn about aging a deer.
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Quail-Friendly Plants of the Midwest, Page 44
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Roundhead lespedeza has reddish-brown, rounded seed heads. Leaflets are elongated and occur in sets of three. In summer, the underside of the leaf is silvery. Mature plants commonly attain a height of 3 feet and may grow as tall as 6 feet.
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