"I can upload a pic if someone will explain how" I'm curious, so I'm giving you a link from the faq's of the hot pepper forum that's pretty comprehensive as to how to add photos. It gives more than one option. http://faq.gardenweb.com/faq/lists/pepper/2002072150000611.html Here is a link that might be useful: how to upload photos from hot pepper FAQ's

Steel, that tall plant you reference was quite likely white sweet clover, a tough invasive species. We mow that stuff down within our prairie plantings whenever and wherever we can-just to set it back as more desirable species colonize any given site. Not a perfect solution by any means, but over time, we get good results. I disagree with the poster above in his blanket condemnation of herbicide use. Applied with care and precision, they are collectively one of the key tools we have to restore land to a more "native" condition. At this point, I guess I'd be wondering if there isn't some ecological consultant you can have visit your site, with a goal being to make recommendations. You might be surprised at how much good could come of such a visit. There's people that do this sort of thing every day. They might have ideas you'd not even thought of. Depending on where you are, and this does tie in with what the other fellow was saying, prairie/meadow-type species and plant communities may themselves just be a temporary waystation on the way towards whatever climax vegetation community would normally occupy your region. So, by this, I mean, for example, all the prairie plantings we have installed-around our stormwater ponds, etc-are really not what nature would have left us with in this area. It was all wooded at one time, but through a combination of the prairie lobby being loudest, and the engineers not having a guy like me onboard until just the last few years, this thing has a big headstart. But it has advantages that a fully wooded site would not-ease of maintenance when that becomes necessary, a plant community type which is itself of value and in short supply (prairie), and a repeatable, well-understood installation and maintenance cycle. But I digress. You could indeed kill of small areas of the grass matrix with glyphosate, plant plugs of the forbs you want to have in the mix, and still retain 99% of the grass you have now. It's simply not an all or none proposition. +oM

Here where I live (Ontario, CANADA) we have a "Ministry of Natural Resources" and each Ministry region has "regional and local offices". If we want to forest or windbreak the Ministry will sell us saplings (hardwood and evergreen) for a nickle each so long as you take a minimum of something like 100. It's been years since I enquired about it but I'm sure they must still have the same program. Don't you have something similar in the USA? You can fill most of your area with a mix of hardwood stands and evergreen stands and then gradually work at little areas where you put larger trees, shrubs etc... until you've developed some Shady areas. Once you've established some shady areas (a grouping of 3-5 would give you a bit of shade, you can start adding some of your native plants that can tolerate mixed sun and shade in and around the tree grouping. In the sunlit areas you can continue with hardy native sunloving plants and then in the fall you can collect and sew your own seeds farther and farther from the paths. Go to plant sales and swaps, beg from neighbors, call your local parks department and see what they might give you and just keep planning season to season what you are going to do to continue with your project. You can also put ads in your local paper and state that if anyone has trees or shrubs (size within reason) that they want removed, that you will come and remove it for them if they let you have it. With permission you can also ask local farmers if you can dig up a few saplings from their wood lots. In my wood lot for every square foot there are easily 5 maple saplings and none of them will ever survive. It's just too dense of shade and there are too many saplings competing for the space. I just gave away a bunch of maple saplings to some girls from here at Garden Web when we had a plant swap. Save tree and shrub ideas for your birthday and Christmas (gift certificates from relatives), watch local papers for year end sales at nurseries and farms and have summer "tree parties" where you host a bonfire and BBQ at your property for your friends and family and ask that each family bring a "host/hostess gift" of a tree or shrub and let the kids put a plaque or tag on the tree to say where it came from "ie. donated by the Robert Smith Family". Let kids plant flowers or sew seeds and take family trips to the countryside to collect native seeds and nuts to strew about in the fall. Invasives are definitely a pain in the "you know what" but if you can get a native ground cover going, even in small spots, you will save yourself a lot of trouble in the long run. Best of fun to you.. Barb Southern Ontario, CANADA zone 6a

It looks like something in the Caryophyllaceae family, such as an Arenaria, Minuartia or Spergularia, of which there are tens of species. I also recommend posting on Name That Plant Forum with clearer pictures, a sense of scale and an indication of where in the world this is growing. Geographical location is important information for plant id.