The Urban Pantheist

Photos by cottonmanfesto. Location: Castle Island, Boston.

Urban species #353: Seaside goldenrod Solidago sempervirens

Field guides will tell you that seaside goldenrod blooms from Ausust to as late as November. This December is turning out to be pretty special in Boston. For the first time turkey vultures (a species that migrates south of New England in winter) have appeared on the Christmas Bird Count. The unseasonable warmth has meant that I've proclaimed that I was posting my last wildflower two or three times already. This native goldenrod species is a pretty sturdy weed, and in these photographs was just beginning to bloom. When it is mature it will bear a thick plume of yellow flowers. Each flower that makes up the composite blossom is much larger than those of most other goldenrod species.

Like sea rocket, seaside goldenrod has adapted to its salty habitat by developing thick waxy flesh. The spray of salt water along beaches, salt marshes, and coastal cities draws the moisture out of the tissues of other plants.

This late blooming species can be a boon to insects that may still be active. Monarch butterflies that are still straggling along a coastal migration route may depend on finding seaside goldenrod to fuel their journey. Native plants enthusiasts promote the planting of seaside goldenrod because of its attractiveness to pollinators (and humans) and its urban hardiness.