Elymus hystrix; Poaceae (grass family)

I find grass flowers every bit as beautiful and fascinating as all other flowers.  Really, really difficult to identify at times, but this inflorescence is pretty unusual.  I’ve been relying on Grasses of Washington, DC., downloaded from the Smithsonian Institution Scholarly Press.

Grasses are fascinating.  Recently evolved, highly adaptable (found in almost every climate), they appear simple but are stunningly complex.  And of course they were critical in the development of human civilization.