Goldenrod (the one shown here is Solidago) is a common name that may mean any one of several fall-flowering composites (known botanically ignorant zoologists as DYCs). In north central Texas goldenrod begins to flower in mid September, and continues flowering through most of October, depending on the weather. The morphology for the inflorescence lends itself to visitation by many nectar-feeding and pollinating insects. The inflorescence contains relatively few flowers, but the plant bears many of these inflorescences. Goldenrod is visited by a wide variety of bees, wasps, lepidopterans (butterflies and moths), and beetles. It also provides a habitat for predators of these insects, including crab spiders, preying mantises, assassin bugs, and ambush bugs.

People who are ignorant of pollination biology often confuse goldenrod with another plant that flowers in the fall, namely giant ragweed. Of course ragweed causes much suffering for those who are allergic to its pollen. The reason that ragweed is bad is that it is wind-pollinated, which means that its flowers produce copious amounts of pollen, and the pollen is designed to be dispersed through the air. Ragweed pollen begins to appear in the daily pollen count in mid September, and the ragweed pollen count is typically high through most of October. Warm, windy days, which are not uncommon at this time of year in north central Texas, cause much pollen to be released from ragweed flowers, which in turn causes much sneezing and running of noses.

Any flower that is large and showy (like the goldenrod) is pollinated by an insect, so does not spew its gametes indiscriminately into the environment. Ragweed flowers are small and are not colorful, because they do not have to attract insects, but they produce lots of pollen. Achoo!