Sunday, 7:45 AM. 54 degrees, wnd WNW, very light. The channel is wrinkled, the sky blue and the barometer predicts partly cloudy weather. All is quiet.
The goldenrods, the one pictured probably being Solidago canadensis, in the composite family (species identification can be very difficult), get a bad rap from allergy sufferers, but are quite innocent as they are pollinated by insects, not the wind.
The ragweed, Ambrosia artimiisifolia, also a composite, is the real culprit, as its pollen is carried by the wind directly to the noses of hay-fever complainants. Ragweeds are mostly annuals, although the giant ragweed, which can grow to 30 feet in height and resides to the south of us, is a perennial. Mowing unfortunately does little to control ragweed pollen as the plant will flower even if cut very short, and it is carried virtually everywhere by the wind.
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