Goldenrod, Solidago

Goldenrod

Solidago

- Goldenrod - 

Goldenrod is a big family (really genus), there are 100-120 species. So rather than get persnickety about which species I often come across, I will enjoy the genus as a whole. 

This plant is prolific across the open hills and dales of Paradise. As summer ends and fall begins, many flowers have already retreated back to the earth but the golden rod remains a reminder of long days, warm weather and abundance of color. 

- A Honeybee on Goldenrod -

Goldenrod seems to be a favorite among the bumblebees and honeybees. And, it has been this way for at least 162 years. On Sept. 30th, 1852, Henry Thoreau and his companions were bee-hunting to find wild honey. With no luck, the troop declared they "were too late, -- that the weather was too cold." However, after lunch, Thoreau and company came across "a large mass of goldenrod . . . resounding with the hum of bees." Using a bee box to fully "line" a bee, they were able to find the source of honey. Thoreau concluded that: "all the honey-bees we saw were on the blue-stemmed goldenrod (Solidago caesia), which is late, lasts long, which emitted a sweet agreeable fragrance."

- Blasts of Yellow -

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Source:

Thoreau, H.D. The Journal 1837-1861. Ed. Damion Searles. New York: NYRB, 2009.