When this plant is in flower, as it is in MissMew's picture (anthers are visible), it presents a quite different appearance than when it's not. It only flowers for a brief period, maybe a week or so each year. On the other hand, the seedheads, or the remains of the seedheads, can persist nearly year round. Consequently, people are much more familiar with how it looks when it's not in flower.
It's fairly common among grasses for the inflorescence to open up dramatically while they are actually blooming as a means of improving pollen dispersion. It's easy to miss as grasses often bloom for a very short period of time.
