A harbinger of the changing seasons, goldenrod blooms from later summer into autumn, and tends to be one of the last splashes of color before the winter begins. The goldenrods are often vilified; some species can become invasive outside of their natural range, and they have also been falsely accused of causing hay fever (though this is now known to be caused be Ragweed / Ambrosia spp, a wind-pollinated annual that blooms at the same time). In actuality, the goldenrod is an incredibly useful and beneficial plant whose sticky pollen is carried by insects instead of by the breeze.

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