(Chelsea Update would like to thank Tom Hodgson and the Waterloo Natural History Association for the photos and information in this story.)
Many area fields and roadsides are turning yellow with the blossoms of goldenrod. The blooming of goldenrod is often associated with the beginning of the hay fever season, but this colorful plant is not to blame.
The real culprit is ragweed and its flowering coincides with that of goldenrod. Ragweed and its blossoms are green and blend in with the surrounding foliage.
The grains of ragweed pollen are tiny, light and easily blown in the wind. Goldenrod pollen grains, on the other hand, are large, heavy and sticky and can only be transported by insects.
The nectar from goldenrod is the source of most of the honey produced in the fall. Goldenrod honey is darker than that produced from clover and alfalfa, and has a stronger flavor.
Beekeepers can tell when their hives are curing goldenrod honey, as they give off a pungent odor. Some say the odor smells like hot caramel candy; others describe is as more like dirty sweat socks.
Come to the Discovery Center in September, stand next to the observation bee hive and smell for yourself.
Once cured, however, goldenrod honey is odorless and just as sweet as lighter varieties.
Some claim that eating pollen or honey collected by honey bees will help reduce the symptoms of hay fever. Unfortunately, honey bees do not collect pollen from ragweed, so this benefit may be more perception than reality.
