The cool nights are starting to change our summer season into the colors of fall, red, orange and Goldenrod. Ah yes, the bane of many people with seasonal allergies, Goldenrod is abloom throughout the northeast.

However, Goldenrod is not the cause of most hay fever but instead the victim of guild by association. The pollen causing this allergic reaction is produced mainly by ragweed, pollinated by the wind, blooming at the same time as the goldenrod.

Goldenrod pollen is too heavy and sticky to be blown far from the flowers, and is pollinated mainly by insects, particularly honeybees. The flush of goldenrod right now is important for honeybees as they are trying to produce enough honey to survive the cold northeastern winters.

While away a couple of weeks ago, a swarm trap that I had hanging at our house, suddenly became occupied by a new colony of bees. It is really late in the season for bees to swarm and even with the goldenrod in abundance this time of year, these bees will still need help to make it through the winter.

It is a very large colony and they probably had been living in a tree trunk and simply outgrew the space. But any honey they had stored previously had to be left behind. So even with the goldenrod, I will be feeding these bees through the winter to make sure they have enough food to make it till next spring.

Back to the allergies, handling goldenrod, however, can cause allergic reactions, sometimes irritating enough to force florists to change occupation. Now you might not think that florists would use goldenrod in a bouquet, and you would be wrong.

When my brother-in-law got married seventeen years ago in Vermont, the wedding bouquets had goldenrod in them. My wife was popping Alavert like it was Pez.

In some places though, goldenrod is considered to be a sign of good luck or good fortune. They are considered weeds by many in North America, but they are prized as garden plants in Europe, where British gardeners adopted goldenrod as a garden subject long before Americans did.

Goldenrod began to gain some acceptance in American gardening during the late nineteen eighties. We have never been asked for any goldenrod at the store, but we do have one grower that does have it should the need arrive.

I almost ordered some this summer when doing an order as I came across a plant that I had not heard of before, Solidago. Solidago sounds fancy, with maybe a latin flair, but no it is goldenrod. Solidago is the latin for the family of plants that comprise the many varieties of goldenrod.

Young goldenrod leaves are edible and Native Americans used the seeds of some species for food. Herbal teas are also sometimes made with goldenrod.

Not really my cup of tea, but my great grandmother's boarding house recipe book did have a recipe for dandelion wine, so I guess goldenrod tea isn't that far of a stretch.