Solidago bicolor 3, White Goldenrod, Howard County, Md, Helen Lowe Metzman
Solidago bicolor 3, White Goldenrod, Howard County, Md, Helen Lowe Metzman
Do not hate upon the goldenrod. We under appreciate this vast, specious genus. Often feared as a producer of hayfever (you know this not to be true) and considered a weed by most. There is much to like here, including forms that are small, early, late, arched, clumped, spreading, tall and on and on. They are also a big part of the fall bug pollen and nectar supply chain, at a time when there is not much going on. Often pointed out as a having bee specialists, this may very well be true, but the forms of goldenrod are many and its composite cousins are also almost always in the same area, so someone really needs to dig in on the question of how specialized bees are on this genus and how the many forms of goldenrods fit into that space. Specimen (Solidago bicolor) and photo by Helen Lowe Metzman.
We Are Made One with What We Touch and See
We are resolved into the supreme air,
We are made one with what we touch and see,
With our heart's blood each crimson sun is fair,
With our young lives each spring impassioned tree
Flames into green, the wildest beasts that range
The moor our kinsmen are, all life is one, and all is change.
- Oscar Wilde. Original public domain image from Flickr