I certainly am not...yet! These three sedge and two grass species were all found in northeastern Illinois. Or perhaps CX1 and CX3 are the same. Yaaag! My Field Guide to Wisconsin Sedges just came in the mail today. Also, does anyone know of a good guide to distinguishing turfgrasses?
The first three are sedges, Carex sp. More than 100 Carex species are listed for IL. Their identification is based on many details of the flower, seed, inflorescence and leaf structure. With few exceptions, this cannot be done by a photo. #4 - Poa sp - same problems as with sedges. #5 - agree with Tyrlych
Here's the key to Carex in FNA. The photos provided don't even permit getting beyond the first couplet -- whether each individual plant has 1 or 2+ spikes with flowers.
Hence my need for a Carex expert who can identify them by their post-flowering gestalt at a glance. :) Someday...
Well, I know the two top experts in Canada, but I'm afraid you'd pretty much get the same response. They look somewhat like Carex bebbii, but how many others look similar to that I don't know.