Rabbitbrush

Chamisa in bloom at Bluff Lake Nature Center

I took this photo last year, and the scene looked pretty much identical this weekend. What I noticed this year, though, is the intense aroma of the rabbitbrush. The air was saturated with the smell of socks at the bottom of the hamper. Which brings me to a small correction.

While picking up my flattened-to-the-ground goldenrod, I selected a few stalks to bring inside. It's actually quite a nice cut flower, lasting several days inside easily. But yesterday afternoon, I smelled that smell. In the house. It was just like the rabbitbrush. Experienced beekeepers often say that goldenrod honey smells like gym socks, and so I stuck my nose into the vase full of flowers. Then spent the next 5 minutes sneezing uncontrollably. So, goldenrod pollen does indeed cause autumn allergies... if you stick your face in it.