Where do you live? I'm guessing you do not live in Bermuda or the Azores (or other mid Atlantic island). More likely to be somewhere between Long Island and Florida. Need to be more specific.

If it comes back, then the grass is going dormant. It is not dead. Do you water at least an inch a week in the summer when the grass goes dormant?

Can you post a picture of the offending grass? Preferably a picture from 3 inches away from the grass showing the blades. And preferably taken on a cloudy day so the contrast is more normal.

What kind of grass do you want? Being in the shade you are limited to basically two depending on whether you are in the north or the south.

Sorry, it's the Mid Atlantic states, Maryland.

There were other questions in my last reply. Maryland helps. That eliminates most of the southern grasses. Zoysia is still a possibility.

dchall, I do not water in the summer since my water supply is a well. I'm certain it is not Zoysia. I will post a picture when it gets cloudy, probably this afternoon. I want a thin- bladed grass such as the fine fescues or Kentucky bluegrass. I live near the Pennsylvania line in Md. Thanks for your persistence. lpilson

dchall, here's the picture I promised. It looks like the thin-bladed fescues in my lawn but is a lighter shade of green and seems to grow faster. Hope this helps. lpilson

That's weird. Around here the only people who can afford to water in the summer are those who have wells.

Excellent picture. Since it "dies" without water in the summer and dies again in the winter, and since it is clearly not zoysia, then I'm going with Kentucky bluegrass. If that's what it is, and all you do is water it in the summer, it will look like this...

{{gwi:86786}}

One thing that bothers me is you say it grows faster than the fescue. Is your fescue a dwarf variety?

Sounds like 'poa anna'.

dchall and saxman1, thanks for your input. Do the fescues and Kentucky bluegrass all go dormant in the heat and dry conditions without water?

KBG usually goes dormant before TT Tall Fescue, but it tends to survive dormancy better. In addition, KBG will send out runners to fill in dead spots, whereas fescue spreads as glacially expanding clumps.