Carex muehlengergii

Common Name: Muhlenbern's sedge

Plant Type: Sedge

Habitat: Sandy fields, on dunes, banks, edges of oak and aspen forests, dry woods, sand prairies

Light Requirements: Sun, Part Shade

Soil Moisture: Mesic to dry

Soil Type: Sand

Height: 8 to 36 inches

Bloom Time: June - July

Flower Colour: Green, yellow, brown

Details/Comments: Various insects feed on sedges (Carex spp.) in upland areas. These species include such common aphids as Rhopalosiphum maidis (Corn Leaf Aphid), Schizaphis graminum (Spring Grain Aphid), and Sipha flava (Yellow Sugarcane Aphid). An introduced aphid, Iziphya flabella, has been found on Sand Sedge (Carex muehlenbergii). Many grasshoppers feed on the foliage of upland sedges and other plants. These species include Arphia pseudonietana (Red-Winged Grasshopper), Melanoplus angustipennis (Narrow-Winged Sand Grasshopper), Spharagemon collare (Mottled Sand Grasshopper), and Trachyrhachys kiowa (Kiowa Grasshopper). Some billbugs also feed on sedges and similar species; they include Sphenophorus callosus (Southern Corn Billbug), Sphenophorus costicollis (Sedge Billbug), and Sphenophorus costipennis. The larvae of billbugs usually burrow through the stalks of these plants. Among vertebrate animals, upland gamebirds and granivorous songbirds feed on the seeds of upland sedges. These species include the Greater Prairie Chicken, Ring-Necked Pheasant, Wild Turkey, Horned Lark, Snow Bunting, and others. A small mammal, the Prairie Vole, feeds on either the foliage or seeds.

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