Take a look at the below link to Lazy SS Nursery

http://www.lazyssfarm.com/Plants/Perennials/S_files/S.htm

They list several that offer a nice pollen source late in the season (mine are about to bloom now). They provide a nice continuation to follow my fairly late blooming Mistflowers (Eupatorium coelestinum). I grow the "Fireworks" variety.

Bob

I bought several goldenrods from a local nursery in 4" pots...I was thinking I bought dwarf goldenrods & several turned out to be about 3ft tall this year...do you have pictures of the "fireworks" variety in your yard? I think that is what I have but so far, I haven't seen BFs on it. I still have lots of things blooming including my garden phlox, BF bushes, & tropical milkweed.

My goldenrod is just getting going now, nearing or at peak bloom depending on the species. I don't see many butterflies on it, but it's cooling off around here, so there aren't that many butterflies around anyway. There are lots of other pollinators on it though, like assorted sizes of bumblebees, honeybees, and wasps.

Goldenrod is also good to grow because it hosts 115 species of Lepidoptera, the most of any genus of herbaceous plants (according to Douglas Tallamy). I grow 7 or 8 species, some naturalized, some started from seed, and bought Fireworks this year. They are very easy to start from seed.

This is Solidago caesia (wreath goldenrod?) one of my favorites. One plant naturalized itself in the yard but I would like to start more from seed. Grows okay in dry shade and only gets about 2 ft tall. Very pretty and the bumblebees love it!
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Thanks for all your comments. Interesting that goldenrod hosts so many different lepidoptera. I had no idea.

I grew a dwarf hybrid goldenrod a few years ago but it died out on me. Now I have S.'fireworks' (for 3 years) and it is quite tall~~about four feet or could be more. I have not seen many leps using either but there are lots of other flying bugs visiting.

Lazy SS does a nice job of describing a few of the many varieties available. Sounds like Goldenrod is another North American native that is the rage in Europe and yet to become popular here. Just like the coneflower used to be.

I would like to try the wreath goldenrod pictured above. And I see that Prairie Moon says that Rigid Goldenrod is 'a monarch favorite'.

There is another P M write up where they discuss 'Canada Goldenrod' as an invasive plant which I wasn't aware of either.

I'm going to order some seeds to try to wintersow some for next year.

Thanks for all your thoughts. f.

Oh yeah, S. canadensis is very aggressive. I removed it from the yard, except for the more wild area in back. It's also one of the most common wild species around here, so that's what people think of as goldenrod.

I think it's odd that we're so enamored of European plants here in North america, and vice versa. Then we pay the price when species like Purple loosestrife become invasive here, and supposedly at least 3 species of goldenrod are invasive in Europe.

I collected seed from the S. caesia plant in the photo above, but they weren't viable - apparently Solidago species require cross-pollination to produce viable seed. So I need to buy some this coming year, or find some wild stock to collect seed from.

Hi Jeanne;
I haven't replied for a couple days because I have been thinking about your question. Keep in mind that "goldenrod" is a generic term. There are some 75 species in the Solidago genus and another 9 plus in the Oligoneuron family. If you had asked me two weeks ago if Solidago canadenisis was a good nectar plant, I would have said "no". However, over the last week I have seen more things nectaring on it. Not a lot however. I did see tons of things on Stiff leaved goldenrod, Oligoneuron rigidum. However, it seems that these plants have a long period where the flowers are present but not producing nectar. Nectar may be produced for only a week or so. I have been watching them closely on my butterfly surveys and that is what I have been observing. That being said, these are beautiful plants. I would encourage you to look in the Oligoneuron genus. The Riddells (sp) and stiff leaved are beautiful plants and like I said, I think you will see more on them. However, I am still observing!
Cheers,
Elisabeth