Wednesday Wings - Buzzing Goldenrod

Most of the spring and summer our field has a variety wildflowers. By September it's totally yellow with goldenrod.

I've never cared enough to identify the goldenrod species growing here. There are at least three. The tallest is five feet tall, the flowers just at my eye level.

The Goldenrod is covered with various bees and wasps gathering the rich golden pollen and nectar.


Honey bees with loaded pollen sacks on their hind legs.


Bumble bees are also pollen collectors.


The Bald-faced Hornets don't have pollen sacks on their legs, but they still like to visit the goldenrod and suck the sweet nectar.

Bald-faced hornets are not real hornets. They're wasps in the same genus as Yellowjackets.