We've got termites?

 Yes, we've got them!  If you look at the stalk of grass, it is enclosed in a combo of plant particles, dirt, and termite spit.  I'm told this is called a termite tube.  The tube is how the termite does what a termite does in a controlled and protective environment.  It can eat the grass stalk without "worries."

 

Here's another one.  



You can see the tubes follow the patterns of the fallen grass.

 

 

More tubes.  These have some holes which suggests they may be abandoned.  Termites are one of those social kinds of insects with workers, queens, etc.  They are not part of the ant family.  They are very particular about their environment.  When the temps rise or fall into ranges they don't like, they head underground where the temperatures are constant.  They also need the humidity to be very high (95-100% range) so will burrow into the ground all the way to the water table.  This is good news for us because it may indicate that the area where we see these tubes may be where the water table is closest to the surface.  We will keep this in mind when we drill our well. 

 

We also see these tubes covering whole branches (small ones) of woody bushes and trees.  Unfortunately, when I went to try to find one to take a picture, I couldn't remember where I had seen them.