Goldenrod is a tall, showy wildflower that grows in big, feathery plumes of bright golden yellow, and it makes meadows and fields look like they are filled with treasure! It blooms in late summer and fall when many other flowers have already stopped blooming, so it is one of the last big meals of the year for hungry bees and butterflies getting ready for winter. There are over 100 different kinds of goldenrod, and they grow all across North America. Goldenrod is the state flower of Kentucky and Nebraska, and some goldenrod plants can grow taller than your mom or dad!
Many people used to think goldenrod made them sneeze, but that is actually not true – the real sneezy culprit is a plain-looking plant called ragweed that blooms at the same time! Goldenrod is actually very helpful to all kinds of creatures. Butterflies, beetles, spiders, and even tiny wasps all visit goldenrod flowers for food and shelter. Some small insects called gall flies lay their eggs inside goldenrod stems, and the plant grows a round ball around them like a little room where the baby insects can live. Thomas Edison, the famous inventor who helped create the light bulb, once figured out how to make rubber from goldenrod plants, which is pretty amazing!
