Fall is nearly here. Dark clouds of starlings are swirling in the sky. Corn stalks are turning yellow. Bright spots of red sumac can be seen in the woodlands and prairie edges. Sunflowers, goldenrod and asters are blooming. When the goldenrod starts to bloom in late August I know that summer is almost at an end.
There are more than a dozen different varieties of goldenrod to be found in Minnesota, and my identification skills are bad on a good day. But here are three that I have photographed at Fort Ridgely.
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Canada goldenrod
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Bog goldenrod
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Zig zag goldenrod
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Bugs love these blooms. The flowers are an important source for late-season nectar and pollen for our pollinator friends, including honey bees. And an important source of late-season beauty for us.
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