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.

under the lensLindsay BuckSeptember 17, 2017under the lens, edible, solidago, solidago virgaurea, asteraceae, goldenrod, European goldenrod, medicinal, natural dye Comment

under the lens - Filipendula ulmaria

Often discovered by scent before sight, meadowsweet fills the edges between the meadows and streams, lending the mid-summer air their honey-sweet, namesake fragrance. I most often stumble across their tall, dense stands on warm evenings when their scent is strongest, and when their creamy, cloud-like flowers glow against the darkening sky.

under the lensLindsay BuckAugust 14, 2017filipendula, filipendula ulmeria, rosaceae, meadowsweet, mead sweet, brideswort, queen of the meadow, medicinal, edible, symbolic, natural dyeComment

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