Membership
Jill’s Plant of the Month
September: Stiff Goldenrod grows 3-5 feet tall with a flat-topped cluster of bright yellow flowers. Easily identified from other goldenrods by its hairy stems and stiff, rough, oblong leaves, it adapts to a wide variety of soil conditions, dry to moderate moisture. It grows in full to part sun and does not spread aggressively. Some mining bees as well as other bee species are specialists of goldenrods meaning that they have pollen-collecting structures that are specific to the size of the pollen grains that they collect from goldenrod. Pollen is the main source of protein required for bee growth. Stiff Goldenrod is listed as a keystone plant by the National Wildlife Federation. It serves as a native host plant for 42 species of pollen specialist bees and also a host plant to 104 caterpillar species! Blooming in late summer to early fall, this plant is a very important source of food for migrating and overwintering insects. Plant Stiff Goldenrod in a meadow or wildflower garden and watch as hundreds of pollinators gather! Companion plants may be rough blazing star, little bluestem, wild asters, joe-pye weeds, leadplant, big bluestem, rattlesnake master, and yellow coneflower.
Stiff Goldenrod (Solidago rigida)
The Summer 2024 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘖𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 is here!
It can be accessed online through your Wild Ones account by visiting https://members.wildones.org/journals/. This issue is packed with informative articles including:
Nature, native plants and mental health
The myth of newspaper and cardboard sheet mulch
The sex lives of plants
Exploring the bounty of native edible berries
Two new children’s book reviews
… and more!
Access to the current issue of the 𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘖𝘯𝘦𝘴 𝘑𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘭 is a benefit specific to Wild Ones members
Follow Us on Facebook!
Did you know that our Central Wisconsin Chapter has its own Facebook page? Click here to follow along!
