Old Field Goldenrod

SCIENTIFIC NAME: Solidago nemoralis

COMMON NAME: Old Field Goldenrod, Gray Goldenrod, Common Leaf Goldenrod, Dwarf Goldenrod, Prairie Goldenrod

BLOOM TIME: Aug, Sept, Oct

PLANT PROFILE:

• Grows up to 2 ½ ft. tall.
• Dense, short gray hairs on stems and leaves.
• Yellow-gold dense flowerheads on top of short branches ¼” wide.
• Recognized by its slightly bent tip on top of stem.
• Preferred sites are prairies, savannas, sand dunes, & open woods.
• One of 25 different goldenrod species in Illinois.

INSECT/ANIMAL INTERACTIONS:

• Goldenrods are sources of food to some vertebrate animals. For example, the seeds, flowerheads, and leaves are eaten by the Greater Prairie Chicken and possibly other upland gamebirds; the Eastern Goldfinch also eats the seeds.
• Groundhogs, rabbits, deer and livestock, will browse on Field Goldenrod and other goldenrods occasionally, although they are not preferred as sources of food.