Is Goldenrod a weed? Is Joe Pye Weed a weed? Milkweed used to be considered a noxious weed. I have Goldenrod in the front garden and it is just starting to show colour. The bees will be around it soon.
Some 'weeds' such as Goldenrod (Solidago species) and Joe Pye Weed (Eutrochiumpurpureum) are native species which support Canada's pollinating insects and birds and contribute to the ecosystem. We know that Milkweed (Asclepias species), for example, provides a nursery for the offspring of Monarch butterflies.
And then there are the plants that are worrisome and are weeds that can kill everything around them: Species like Dog-Strangling Vine (Vincetoxicum rossicum and Vincetoxicum nigrum), Garlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata), Buckthorn (Rhamnus cathartica), and Japanese Knotweed (Reynoutria japonica) threaten biodiversity and have adverse effects on the environment.
Common Reed (Phragmites australis) is all along the QEW and waterways. It impacts recreational activities like swimming, boating and fishing and reproductive strategies of fish, turtles and birds.
We've been told to stay away from species like Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) and Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). They can have serious health impacts with exposure causing allergic reactions and dermatitis.
All these invasive weeds make Goldenrod a pleasant plant. I found a COVID gardening joke to distract us from invasives:
Has anyone elses gardening skills improved during this quarantine like mine have? I planted myself on my couch at the beginning of March and I've grown significantly since.
And then I found a cat and gnome joke:
A garden gnome is busy destroying plants when suddenly a house cat appears.“What are you?” asks the cat. “I’m a gnome. I steal food from humans. I kill their plants, and I raise a ruckus at night to drive them crazy. I just love mischief! And what, may I ask, are you?” The cat thinks for a moment and says, “I guess I’m a gnome.”
Here is that beautiful sculpture "Time" in Kingston on the harbour. The weather of the October day that I took photos was raining with a solid gray sky. It takes a sunrise to move it to inspirational.
