Goldenrod + Honey Bee

Goldenrod’s history is rich with symbolism and value to cultures around the world. Its warm, bright color and shape are widely known in prairie meadows. Growth is shrub-like and 2-3 ft. in both height and width, with pointed green leaves and clusters of yellow blooms beginning in August into October. It symbolizes growth, encouragement, good luck, and fortune, and was called ‘sun medicine’ by the Chippewa people. Its scientific name, Solidago, comes from the Latin term meaning “to make whole.” Medicinal use for Goldenrod varieties today is primarily focused on treating sinus issues and allergies, usually in the form of tea or tincture. Traditional uses for the plant included everything from heart conditions to stomach issues. Goldenrod was also one of many species of native plants used as a tea replacement after early American colonists decided to boycott tea supplies from the United Kingdom.

Goldenrod is accompanied by honey bee, a VIP of the pollinator sector. From National Geographic: “Honeybees are important pollinators for flowers, fruits, and vegetables. They live on stored honey and pollen all winter and cluster into a ball to conserve warmth. All honeybees are social and cooperative insects. Members of the hive are divided into three types. Workers forage for food (pollen and nectar from flowers), build and protect the hive, clean, and circulate air by beating their wings. The queen’s job is simple—she lays the eggs that will spawn the hive’s next generation of bees. There is usually only a single queen in a hive. If the queen dies, workers will create a new queen by feeding one of the worker females a special food called “royal jelly.” This elixir enables the worker to develop into a fertile queen.”

Original mixed media on raw stretched canvas with maple float frame.