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Goldenrod in late summer: a crowded table for bees and butterflies
When: August to October
Late-summer goldenrod patches in Massachusetts concentrate bees, butterflies, and dozens of other insects onto a few bright yellow plumes just as other flowers fade.
Why this time of year
Goldenrod peaks in late summer across eastern Massachusetts and keeps feeding bumble bees into October, when its orangey-yellow pollen makes their leg baskets glow.
How to notice it
- Watch one blooming patch from an arm's length for three minutes.
- Count body shapes rather than names: fat and fuzzy, slim and shiny, folded wings, long antennae.
- Check bees' hind legs for packed pollen baskets glowing orange-yellow.
- Come back on a warmer afternoon and count again.
Try this with kids: How many kinds of visitors use the same flower patch?
pollen baskets are the spots on a bee's hind legs where it packs pollen into pellets
Safety
- Watch insects without grabbing or swatting; a calm step back keeps everyone comfortable.
Sources
- massaudubon.orgGoldenrods bloom in late summer in Massachusetts, are key pollinator plants feeding bees, butterflies, and other insects when other sources dwindle, and host dozens of insects
- massaudubon.orgOctober 2 entry: bumble bees foraging on asters and goldenrods in Massachusetts, with bright orangey-yellow pollen filling their pollen baskets
In the guide for August, September, October