Wildflowers of Late August

Seen in the last week of August.

 Goldenrod.

Common sneezeweed, so called because the dried flowers and leaves used to be an ingredient in a type of snuff, which made you sneeze.  This plant is a member of the aster family and used to be cultivated in gardens.  Even today, there are cultivated varieties.  What I saw is yellow but there are also types with orange highlights.

Last but not least, this.

Japanese knotweed (shudder).

Japanese Knotweed is a fact of life here in the Southern Tier of New York State, and in many other states in the United States.

It was introduced to the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1800's initially as an ornamental plant.

Many say this plant, introduced to the United States around 1825, is "beautiful but deadly".  It is characterized as being one of the most invasive plants in the area I live in.  Its powerful roots can tear up concrete and its runners can grow upwards of 60 feet long.  It grows quickly, and can be almost impossible to eradicate.  Controlling it costs billions of dollars a year.

It's in bloom now.

There is one good thing about this plant.  Bees love their flowers.  At one time, you could hear the hum of bees as you walked up to these plants.  But now, we have fewer bees each year.

I've eaten fall honey and some sell honey made by the bees from knotweed.

Some claim medicinal uses for the weed - I share this link for informational purposes only and do not advocate the use of any wild plant for medicinal uses.

Pretty, but destructive.  

Soon, the asters will be in bloom, bringing down the curtain on the wildflower season, but they aren't blooming just yet.