Goldenrods
Phenology – “a branch of science concerned with the relationship between climate and periodic biological phenomena (as the migration of birds or the flowering and fruiting of plants).”
A Very Common Wildflower
By this time of the year, goldenrod and asters have overwhelmed our roadsides and meadows with their massed legions of colorful plants. They aren’t the only flowers blooming in the fall, because, if you know where to look, you may find such interesting plants as bottle gentians and white turtleheads. However, you don’t have to search for goldenrod or asters, because they cannot be avoided if you take a walk or drive through the countryside.
Goldenrods are easily recognized from a distance, because the hundreds of tiny yellow flowers bunched together along the ends of the tall stems of dozens of individual plants create a blur of color similar to what might be found in an impressionist painting. You only see the individual flowers if you zoom into your photo. Someone going out for a walk will probably just walk on by while thinking, “Wow, that’s a lot of goldenrod.” Few will stop to peer into the blossoms. Few still will try to figure which species they are looking at. I took the next photo to show the color; I didn’t care what species it was, because I was content with documenting “what a wonderful display of goldenrod!”
September 2, 2005: I never identified the species growing her in such abundance on our dam. I just loved the colors and the view of the flowers blowing in the wind.
Identifying Wildflowers
Identifying wildflowers is not an easy task. Sure, we can easily pick out violets in the spring, buttercups in the summer, and goldenrod and asters in the fall. However, these are merely the family names, and you will find 44 species of asters, 39 of violets, 29 of goldenrod, and 21 of clover in my guidebook (Roger Tory Peterson and Margaret McKenny, “A Field Guide to Wildflowers of Northeastern and North-central North America,” 1968 edition). Trying to differentiate among the many nearly identical plants can be a laborious process!
Like most people who spend time outdoors, I have long been interested in wildflowers. However, I didn’t start working on a life list until I was 34 years old. In 1980, I first began to add notes to my guidebook about where and when I had seen wildflowers. By the end of my first year, I had identified 81 species, and after six years, I had found and identified 440 species, i.e. about a third of the species that were listed in the guidebook. That was the last time that I updated my life list, perhaps because I developed other interests, perhaps because my hiking companions (son and wife) were less willing to stand around while I consulted the guidebook, or perhaps because I figured that I had pretty much identified almost all the species that were likely to be found along my usual haunts.
A Very Big Family
It was just by chance, that I decided one early September day in 2005 to take a closer look at the goldenrod that was so abundant around the pond. Even a casual glance showed that there were multiple species, because some were tall, with flowers along multiple stalks at the top of very tall plants, while others were shorter and narrower. So, with time to kill, I set out to find how many species were growing in the Upper Meadow or by the pond. To my surprise, I found ten different species.
September 4, 2005, 68 degrees, partly sunny. At 9:30 am, a flock of 25 geese flew high overhead. I decided to try to identify the various species of goldenrod that were blooming on the dam or by the pond. I took photos and identified ten species using my field guide:
On dam
o Blue stemmed goldenrod
o Late goldenrod
o Bog goldenrod
o Tall goldenrod
o Rough-stemmed goldenrod
By pond
o Early goldenrod
o Lance leaved goldenrod
o Showy goldenrod
o Erect goldenrod (by bench)
o Unidentified goldenrod (shaped like Early Goldenrod, but with parallel veins, short 7-10 rays, and smooth purple stem with white bloom)
It is clear that I just ran out of gas on that day nearly 20 years ago, because I documented the appearance of the last species that I found, but didn’t take the time to identify it. Today, while working on this essay, I went to the same 1968 Field Guide and found that the drawing of Late Goldenrod looks almost exactly like the drawing of Early Goldenrod, except that its leaves are parallel-veined rather than feather-veined. The description of Late Goldenrod’s stem is almost identical to my description of that of the mystery plant: “Note the smooth pale green or purplish stem, often covered with a whitish bloom.” In short, if I had spent another few minutes back on that day back in 2005, I would easily have identified this tenth species as Late Goldenrod.
I apparently learned two things on that fine September day: first, there were a remarkable number of goldenrod species growing right by the pond and second, it takes a remarkable time and effort to figure out which of the 29 species of goldenrod matches a plant that you are looking at! I never again attempted a Goldenrod survey, although I am tempted to go out back as soon as the rain stops to see how many are in bloom right now!
Identifying Goldenrods
The first step in identifying goldenrods is to look at the shape of the plant, which my field guide separates into five groups:
Plumelike, graceful: the flowers form a triangular cluster at the top of a tall stem.
Elm-branched: the flowers are on various stalks that droop to the sides at the top of a tall stem.
Clublike, showy: the flowers are dense and close to the stem.
Wandlike, slender: similar to the clublike, but the flowers are even closer to the stem.
Flat-topped: the flowers are at the top of multiple stalks that emerge from the top of the stem.
Within each group, further identification requires a close look at the color and texture of the stem, the shape and texture of the leaves, the size and number of rays of the flowers, and the density and size of the leaves (especially at the base of the stem). In short, identification is at best time-consuming, and at worst a wearisome task. No wonder I last attempted this twenty years ago and now wish that perhaps I had chosen a different topic for this month!
In any case, I have done the work, and I am able to show some photos of the species that I have found right here in the Back 4. I am not an expert, and the photos don’t necessarily provide the necessary detail, so I won’t guarantee that my identifications are correct. However, these photos certainly illustrate the variety of shapes of commonly found species of goldenrod. Perhaps you will be motivated to take a closer look at some of the goldenrod that you happen to come across.
Early Goldenrod may be plume-shaped or elm-shaped, and it has large, slightly toothed leaves.
September 4, 2005. Early goldenrod growing on the dam.
Late Goldenrod is similar to Early Goldenrod, but its leaves are parallel-veined and narrower.
Late Goldenrod, by our Pond, August 27, 2005. Note that there are three plants; the one on the left is just coming into bloom.
Canada Goldenrod is another plume-like species. Its narrow, parallel-veined leaves are longer toward the base of the stalk.
Canada Goldenrod, by the Pond, August 24, 2016
Stout Goldenrod is one of the clublike species with showy flowers. I have included one photo from the Back 4 and one that I took recently in Acadia National Park to suggest that this species is very attractive to bees.
Stout Goldenrod: Left: Long Pond, Acadia National Park (September 17, 2024) Right: By the Pond (September 9, 2017).
Blue-stemmed Goldenrod had the slender, wand-like shape. It is only 1-3 feet high, and it has a purplish stem. Notice the very large leaves at its base.
Blue-stemmed Goldenrod, on the dam, September 4, 2005.
The final photo shows one of the few species that is easy to identify. Seaside Goldenrod, named for its usual habitat, tends not to grow in the multi-specied conglomerations that make it difficult to isolate a single plant, let alone identify it. We found many of the Seaside Goldenrods growing singly or in pairs along the coastal trails of Acadia National Park, including this one that seems to be growing out of the rocks. The leaves are smooth, almost fleshy, and completely different from any of the other species. To see this species growing alone or with a few pals while you’re listening to the waves crashing on the rocks is pretty much all you need to identify it. We found this one growing in a rocky crevice within a few yards of where we sat enjoying the waves crashing on the ledges.
Seaside Goldenrod, Acadia National Park, September 18, 2024
