Week of July 27, 2025 – August 2, 2025
by David DuBois, Director of Stewardship
Late summer is the time of goldenrods. From every highway verge and overgrown edge, their golden colors erupt onto the scene, brightening up the space with yellow so vibrant it can only be described in a self-referential way, as goldenrod. Their affinity for common spaces and unignorable hue have given this amazing plant a reputation as a weed, and if it is a weed, then there is no other weed more lovely in the state.
When we say goldenrod, the plant that jumps to most minds is the Tall Goldenrod, a fittingly tall plant that spreads in large patches and fills the roadsides where it is commonly seen. Tall Goldenrod, however, is just one of the dozens of goldenrod species that can be found in all habitats of New York State.
The earliest blooming species of goldenrod are just starting their midsummer show as August approaches with a glimpse of the beauty yet to come. Giant Goldenrod and Canada Goldenrod are putting forth their golden displays as I write this blog; the first filling marshes and wet places, and the latter brightening up floodplains and old fields. Soon after, Early Goldenrod and Gray Goldenrod will follow. These two species are much less weedy than the common Tall Goldenrod, although every bit as showy on open, dry, and sterile soil. By late August, our rarest Central New York goldenrod, Ohio Goldenrod, is lighting up the fens it resides in, while Grass-Leaved goldenrod prepares the fields for the crescendo of the goldenrod show.
As August turns to September, each species peaks in rapid succession: Zigzag Goldenrod in the moist forests, Tall Goldenrod in the weedy spaces, Silverrod (that most stunning of goldenrods for it defies the expectation of a goldenrod by bursting forth with a stunning white wand that lights up the edge of dry woods), Swamp Goldenrod in the wet meadows, Blue-Stemmed Goldenrod in the woods, and Rough-Leaved Goldenrod back in the fields. By mid-October and the coming of fall, the show is winding down, with the road-salt loving Seaside Goldenrod finally wrapping up their golden show from the highway median.
This succession follows year after year, close enough for each new burst of blooming to overlap, but spaced out enough that each flash in the goldenrod show maintains its own character and moment. These wonderful plants occupy so many habitats, and bloom for such an extended period that they are critical food sources for a plethora of insects and serve as the base of the food chain in so many spaces. Without them, some fundamental character of the transition of seasons would be missing too. Take some time to admire the humble goldenrod this year; you are just in time for a front row seat to the show.