Waiting for Goldenrod

The plants of the different goldenrod species may be tall (4 or 5 feet) or little over a foot high. Most of them are clearly, often stridently, yellow. The flowering parts come in an astounding variety of patterns from wide domes to waving plumes, to comets of flowers shooting wildly outward from a central point, and everything in between. When looked at closely, you will see they are not simple like daisies, nor like tight little buttons or pouches. What appears to be the blossom is made up of myriads of tiny individual flowers, each one a source of nectar and pollen for the bees. A single plant might have thousands of these tiny flowers which helps to explain the sheer abundance of what they offer. The leaves of the plant may be wide or thin or smooth or toothed along the edges, and alternating or placed in whorls around the stem.

One of the side pleasures of beekeeping is seeing the plants around you in fresh ways. Keeping an eye out for goldenrod in your neighborhood is a good way to begin. Starting soon, watch for any new yellow-blooming plants. Make a point of looking at them closely; when you see the tell-tale pattern of many little flowers packed closely together, then you have probably spotted a goldenrod, but not the only goldenrod since chances are there are several other species around. To sort out which species of goldenrods your bees are using, you can use the internet or a good wildflower book, but don’t expect to identify every goldenrod you find since there are so many different species and they sometimes hybridize among the species. As the weeks pass, continue to watch for new “goldenrod” that presents its flowers in different ways. Each one is a different species. Once your eye begins to see the differences, you’ll be rewarded by a richer, more nuanced appreciation for your local plants.

If you haven’t got the time to go out looking for flowers, you can also let the bees tell you when the goldenrod flow is upon them. One of the telltale signs is a distinctly “ripe”, unpleasant to some people, smell about the bee yard. It’s a sort of strong yeasty or sour smell. Once the honey has been ripened, the odor fades away. The bees’ demeanor may change subtly, too, as the goldenrod flow begins. If they were a little tetchy beforehand, the work of gathering in all the goldenrod nectar will keep them more happily occupied. And an evening visit to the yard will reveal the sound of a hive operating at full bore to dry off the moisture in the nectar.

As the end of the flower season draws close, the huge arches of Canadian goldenrod come into their own, with whole fields completely covered in a mustard colored mantle. This is the last big flower show of the year.

Although the first goldenrods bloom in what still feels like summer, it should remind beekeepers of the coming finale of the season. And that should prompt beekeepers to begin to think about their pre-winter checklist and make sure their varroa mite numbers are low and their hives are strong and healthy. Goldenrod will help you get your hives to a good winter weight. But once it’s finished, the beekeeping season is truly over.