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Down the Garden Path: The facts on goldenod and ragweed · Kendall County News - Shaw Local

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  Down the Garden Path, The Facts on Goldenrod and Ragweed. Written by
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  Trika Baron Boyd, University of Illinois Extension. This article is being read
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  by an automated voice, brought to you by Everlet. As the season
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  moves well into fall we see many fall blooming plant dotting our
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  landscapes, especially the yellow blooms of sweet black eyed Susan's, yellow coneflowers,
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  and goldenrod. With the fall blooms for many of us allergy season
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  has also begun, and for some reason Goldenrod is often the plant
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  that gets a bad rap as the culprit behind our allergy symptoms.
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  But is this plant really the bad guy? Goldenrod. Not the villain.
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  Goldenrodago is hot, a native perennial, is not the allergy villain, it's
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  quite the opposite. Its bloom time is from late August through frost,
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  with stunning bright yellow flowers that produce heavy, sticky pollen that is
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  primarily pollinators, by insects like bees and butterflies. The sticky pollen is
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  spread by attaching to the pollinator's body, these pollen grains do not
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  travel through the air and are too large to be easily inhaled.
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  Goldenrod’s is an important source of nectar for pollinators and crucial to
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  the winter survival of many honey bees. The heavy pollen adds a
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  considerable amount of protein, fats, and minerals to the autumn diet of
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  bees. This plant also hosts many beneficial insects like preying mantids, lace
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  wings, spiders, assassin bugs, and ambush bugs. Goldenrod's extensive root system helps
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  prevent soil erosion, making it valuable for stabilizing soil in disturbed areas
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  Ragweed, the allergen, Ragweed Ambrosia is an annual with flowers that
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  often go unnoticed. It germinates in the spring and flowers at the
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  same time as Goldenrod. The flowers are small, green yellowish, and form
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  spikes above the foliage. The stems are hairy and the leaves smell
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  minty when crushed. This plant prefers sunny areas with bare or disturbed
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  soil, including roadsides, vacant lots, construction sites, and roadside edges. The flowers
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  do not contain any nectar and do not need to be attractive
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  to pollinators because the lightweight pollen is spread for miles by even
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  the gentlest breeze. Seen under a microscope, these tiny pollen granules have
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  hooks. No wonder they cause so much discomfort with itchy eyes and
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  runny noses. A single plant can produce over a billion pollen grains.
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  So go ahead and give goldenrod, a try. Great native varieties include
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  showy goldenrod Siladago Speciosa, Wrinkle Leaf Goldenrod, Siladago Rugosa, and Blue Stem
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  Goldenrod, Solidago Caesia. References. Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens The
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  Golden Truth Why You Shouldn't Blame Goldenrod for Allergies and Embrace Its
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  Benefits. Coastal Georgia Botanical Gardens, September 2026. MINSOTA State Horticulture
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  Society, Ragweed vs. Goldenrod. Determining Friend from Foe. Northern Gardener Goldenrod, september
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  twenty twenty sixth. Trika Barrenboyd is a certified Master Gardener volunteer with
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  the University of Illinois Extension serving DuPage, Kane, and Kendall counties.