Goldenrod Gets a Bad Rap

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By mid-August, goldenrod is beginning to light up roadsides, prairies and field edges with clusters of bright yellow flowers.

And almost as soon as it starts blooming, someone starts blaming it for their allergies.

But goldenrod just gets a bad rap.

Goldenrod pollen is relatively large, heavy and sticky. It isn’t well-suited for traveling long distances through the air. Instead, goldenrod depends largely on insects to move its pollen from flower to flower. Bees, butterflies, beetles, flies and other insects visit goldenrod for nectar and pollen, carrying the pollen from flower to flower as they feed.

The real culprit

The plant that’s probably causing those late-summer allergy symptoms is ragweed.

Ragweed blooms at about the same time as goldenrod, but it’s much easier to overlook. Its small, greenish flowers aren’t nearly as noticeable as goldenrod’s bright yellow blooms.

Unlike goldenrod, ragweed relies on the wind for pollination. It produces huge amounts of lightweight pollen that can become airborne and travel considerable distances.

Because goldenrod is much more visible, it often gets blamed for pollen that actually came from a much less noticeable neighbor.

An Important Late-Summer Food Source

Goldenrod is also one of the most valuable plants on the late-summer landscape.

By August and early fall, many earlier wildflowers have finished blooming. Goldenrod provides nectar and pollen at a time when plenty of insects are still active and looking for food.

That can be especially important for pollinators preparing for migration or for the colder months ahead.

What looks like a single goldenrod flower is actually a cluster made up of many tiny flowers. Those densely packed blooms give visiting insects plenty of opportunities to feed without traveling very far.

There are many species of goldenrod across North America, and they grow in a wide range of habitats, including prairies, roadsides, woodland edges and disturbed areas.

So when the yellow blooms begin appearing in August, they’re more than a sign that summer is starting to wind down.

They’re also busy late-season gathering places for insects.

And goldenrod? Well, it’s probably not what’s making you sneeze.