Goldenrod sightings drop as bloom season starts fading
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Native Plants
If you've been seeing fields of yellow goldenrod along roadsides and in meadows, this late-season dip is your cue that fall bloom is winding down and pollinators like bees and butterflies will soon need other late-season food sources.
Tall goldenrod is one of those plants you've probably seen without knowing its name: tall stalks topped with fuzzy yellow flower clusters that show up in fields, ditches, and yards every autumn. This week citizen scientists logged 842 sightings of it across the US, down from 1,114 the week before, which tracks with the plant moving past its late-summer peak. It's still one of the most-reported plants in the country right now, just past its busiest point.
Key Findings
842 observations of tall goldenrod were logged in the US over the past 7 days, among the highest counts for any plant species
That's a decrease of 272 observations compared to the prior 7-day period, which saw 1,114 sightings
The decline suggests the species is past peak bloom and visibility is tapering as autumn progresses
chevron_right Technical Summary
Tall goldenrod sightings on iNaturalist dropped sharply this week, with 842 observations compared to 1,114 the week before, as the plant's bright yellow bloom season starts to wind down across the US.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima) — 842 observations this week
Tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima) is a species in the family Asteraceae. iNaturalist users recorded 842 observations of it in the United States in the 7 days before today, among the most for any ...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
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Photo by Becky Dill, taken in North Carolina, United States. CC0 via iNaturalist.
Phenology is the study of recurring biological events in plant life cycles—such as flowering, fruiting, and germination—and how these events are timed in response to seasonal and climatic conditions. This research is essential to plant science because phenological patterns directly influence
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