It is something from your bird seed; I get those pretty regularly.

It is broom corn, sorghum vulgare.

Thanks! I wondered about sorghum, it is one of the crops around here (but not close to my house!) However, if it is commonly found in bird seed (AKA millet or milo) a seed might have been tracked on a deer hoof - it popped up next to the bare ground that the deer have created in the ground cover, that they tread to reach other plants to eat.

Deer have tracked in lesser celandine and creeping bentgrass before (an assumption based on finding those weeds in the spots where deer have stood to eat the landscaping.)

Sorghum seeds are in many birdseed mixes. I've had similar pop up in my yard. I've just left them in place hoping the birds will enjoy them.

Carolb, i had a bunch of tall grasses grow this year in a section of the back yard - the seed heads are ripe and I am seeing small birds eating them.