GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. — This time of year, there’s a common misconception we need to clear up about goldenrod and ragweed. One is good and the other not so much.
First up, goldenrod.
This native wildflower blooms in late summer and lines the roadsides and prairies. There are lots of different goldenrods native to Minnesota but the one you’ll see most is Canada Goldenrod. It’s a fan favorite of bees looking for nectar late in the season. It’s not pollinated by the wind and is not an airborne allergen.
That brings us to common ragweed, which does cause a lot of problems for allergy sufferers this time of year. You can see it looks very different. It’s flower spikes do not have the bright yellow color of goldenrod and the leaves are very lace or fern like. Ragweed pollen will continue to be a problem for noses, eyes and throats until we get a hard freeze of 28 degrees or colder.
To recap…
Goldenrod, good! Ragweed, bad!
Glad we cleared that up!
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