Goldenrod vs. Ragweed

I’ve been enjoying the long, waving yellow blossoms covering the roadsides and the edge of our woods – goldenrod, I think. The Kentucky State Flower. The pronouncement of fall. Thoughts of poetic musings about its beauty fill my heart, so to speak.

But today someone said “No, I think that’s ragweed.”

Bit of a letdown there…

But it’s OK. I looked it up. It is, in fact, goldenrod; ragweed being a plant that relies on the wind to carry its pollen, making it a less attractive, smaller, greener flower that just blooms at the same time that goldenrod does.

Funny, that we wouldn’t blame goldenrod for our allergies but would confuse the beautiful flower for ragweed. What’s in a name?