Thursday, September 18, 2008

Sunset over Goldenrod/ Sky Watch

Driving north on a north-south East Gwillimbury road, my husband and I stopped to enjoy this lovely sunset over a field covered with gold...er...the much maligned but innocent goldenrod. Unfortunately for goldenrod, it blooms at the same time as sneaky insignificant-looking ragweed, the REAL culprit.

Most North Americans don't appreciate goldenrod for its beauty, probably because it's so common, but I've heard Europeans grow it in their gardens. And in the past few years a couple of really nice cultivated varieties have begun to be sold for Canadian gardens too. Not in my gardens though because goldenrod is in the fields all around me already. ;-)


To join in the Sky Watch fun, which features skies from all around the globe, visit the Sky Watch blog at http://skyley.blogspot.com

100 comments:

Anonymous said...

I haven't been to Skywatch yet but wanted to thank you for coming around and commenting on my blog.

I have opened up Better Blog Writing again.

Brad Myers said...

A fantastic sunset, you captured it well.

Rune Eide said...

A nice combination of gold from the sun and golden-rod - the first well-known to me, the second not.
Thank you for sharing!

Juliana RW said...

very beautiful sunset shot

Please drop at my SWF post also: in HERE. Thanks

Anonymous said...

Great sunset shot and nice colors.
Wild plants are beautiful too.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Lovely photos. The goldenrod does dress up the pastures and roadsides around here too.
Marnie

Redzlan aka Tabib said...

Lovely beautiful golden captured.

/Happy SWF!/.

Pearl Maple said...

So pretty & peaceful!
Thank you for sharing this golden moment on your horizon with us all in Sky Watch Friday.

Dewdrop said...

Darn, either my computer is messing up or bloggers comment thing... but anyways... great first shot... love it... serenity depicted. I would love to escape there.

As for the ragweed/goldenrod similarities... yikes. I am so allergic to ragweed. Nobody had better ever send me goldenrod... I'm liable to throw it away... far away.

Leora said...

You got me curious, so I looked up 'goldenrod invasive', and it seems that some types are invasive and others are not.

Fabulous, the center of your photo. It's Mother Nature playing Photoshop. She does a much better job than we would.

Pernille said...

Wonderful shots from you again:)
Have fun:)

Anonymous said...

I just love the goldenrod shot! Amazing sunset too:) Mine is here. See you there!~ Happy SWF!~

Anonymous said...

Those are beautiful shots. I let goldenrod grow in my slightly wild garden. It will take over so I only let it grow in specific sections. I keep an eye out in the spring and remove it where I don't want it and leave it where I do. I love the sunset over the field in the first shot.

Anonymous said...

Two nice shots here... love the way you can see detail in the foreground of the first one; the sort of precision of exposure it's not easy to manage when the sun's vanishing quickly!

Anonymous said...

Awesome shots! Great SWF contribution!
Cheers, Klaus

Carletta said...

A beautiful sunset!
I love yellow fields of goldenrod and I do have a little in one flowerbed.

Thanks for the really nice comment today - I do like my backyard. :)

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

EG: What a great sunset you showed today. I was guilty of saying it caused allergies last Sunday. Some people corrected me.

Anonymous said...

Nice photos. great sunset.

Photo Cache said...

Is golden rod considered a weed? It's very beautiful I don't think I have seen one up close. Anyway, beautiful sunset image.

Tom said...

Two excellent pictures, loved the sunset and you have matched the pictures so well

Mine's Here

Chrissy said...

Beautiful sky and a lovely photo of the golden-rod. Happy SWF!

Lara said...

beautiful, the sun looks like a precious stone!

Anonymous said...

BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS!!

Louise said...

Love your beautiful sky, and also love the goldenrods. I always thought it was a shame how it blooms at EXACTLY the same time as ragweed and gets blamed for so many things for which it has nothing to do.

Anonymous said...

great sunset picture.

vincibene said...

Wonderful picture! So quiet and peaceful.

Michele said...

It is indeed a lovely sunset.. even with the goldenrod! Stunning photograph!
Have a nice weekend!
~Michele J~
Mountain Retreat

 gmirage said...

It is worth stopping by for. =) I don't get to see much sunset on my side of the sky...(from our balcony) so I always enjoy them during SWF! Thanks for sharing yours!

Petunia said...

Very nice!!!

antigoni said...

Beautiful sunset. And the flowers, too.

bobbie said...

Lovely. And I love goldenrod. It also means the monarch migration will begin soon!

Ramblings of a Villas Girl said...

Hello! Very beautiful sunset picture. Love the colors.

Craver Vii said...

Is it just me or has that sun just cut a groove into the horizon like a welder's torch? Yikes!

Anne-Berit said...

Beautiful photos,both of them.Thanks for visiting!

Anonymous said...

Super sunset - and I agree about ragwort. The island was covered with it which is supposed to be illegal.The cows didn't pay it much attention but we had goats...

Müge Tekil said...

Lovely photos! About goldenrods ... in my country we have them in nature but do not cultivate it in our gardens ... Have a beautiful SWF!

Reader Wil said...

Your photos are always so wonderful! Thanks for visiting. My photos were taken in July this year and in spite of the grey sky, it was not cold. They call it winter overthere, but it's tropical.

Unknown said...

Outstanding sunset shot!

Becky said...

Gorgeous pictures! That sunsye is just beautiful. Now about Goldenrod. We have acrea and acres of it around here. My husband dries the flowers, spray paints them in Fall colors, and uses them on his train layut as trees. Also goats LOVE to eat it.

SandyCarlson said...

Wonderful sky and wonderful goldenrod. I love this beautiful wildflower, too. I didn't know it was marketable!

MumbaiiteAnu said...

Lovely golden sunset shot for Skywatch.

Skywatch from Juinagar Bridge

Jim said...

Hi Ms. Tour Guide, your sunset is pretty. We have golden rods in our flower beds. Now we treat them as weeds because they are trying to take over.
I liked your barn below too.
We have been hiding in evacuation from Hurricane Ike. He took away our electricity until last night. We will return this weekend.
Happy Skywatching.
..

Leedra said...

Love photo.

What some areas have in their gardens, are pest in others. And vice versus. Honeysuckle is awful in Southeast USA, but other areas of USA have it in their gardens. It would be lovely here too, if it was not sooooo invasive.

Mary said...

What a beautiful shot of the sunset! We have loads of goldenrod, too. You are right -- we often do not appreciate it. Your shot is lovely! Happy SWF. :)

Laura ~Peach~ said...

beautiful!!! I like goldenrod too!

Quiet Paths said...

I really admire the gradual, evolving color scheme. This is beautiful.

Neal said...

Beautiful sunset. You always have something great. I don't always comment but I do visit your blog often.

Anonymous said...

Cool - I mowed some of this in my hay this week - didn't know what to call it (other than that yellow weed). Very nice shot of the sunset. My camera must not like me as much as yours likes you. Or maybe there's a nut loose behind my camera. Hmmm. Nice share - thanks.

Anonymous said...

Oh so beautiful. I'm so glad you stopped to enjoy that...

Janet said...

Gorgeous! I love goldenrod. It's my favorite fall wildflower, and we have some in the fields and along the roadsides. It will soon be blooming.
Thanks for the preview!

Unknown said...

There's gold in them there hills! Another fine example of a top notch SWF picture.

Anonymous said...

Solidago canadensis, yes we europeans have that in our garden :-))

Mary said...

Love the red sun!! Great capture!

Barb said...

There are many much maligned weeds! I pretty much love anything that is green and grows! The sunset is lovely!

Rose said...

I was just thinking on my way home a few minutes ago that most people really do not appreciate goldenrod...it is really beautiful I think.

Anonymous said...

Beautiful orange/gold sunset together with goldenrod. Lovely photos!

Country Girl said...

I am one of those Americans who does appreciate goldenrod. I have pictures of it on my blog. Love the colors. Excellent capture for Skywatch this week! You've always got good photos.

Larry D said...

Great photos, I agree about Goldenrod.

Fish Whisperer said...

Great photos and love the writing with it. Hope you have a great weekend.
Cheers

Pat - Arkansas said...

Lovely photos as usual. The sunset photo is stunning.

We purposefully planted goldenrod in our church gardens. It is a beautiful plant, and adds much color to our fall display.

Anonymous said...

You raise a good pot. One person's weed is another person's wildflower. I happen to think the goldenrod is beautiful.

Jan said...

Beautiful and luminous, both photos, of course.

Anonymous said...

beautiful!!!! it's a picture perfect sunset. I love the colors. also, all your photos here are beautiful.

Tink *~*~* said...

Very lovely - don't know how you get such detail on the goldenrod!

Tink *~*~*
My Mobile Adventures *~*~*

sonia a. mascaro said...

Wonderful and magic sunset!

Gondelrod is very beautiful. It's has another name?

dot said...

I love your shot of the goldenrod! I tried to take one a few days ago but it doesn't seem to have much color to it.

Anonymous said...

A stunning sunset picture you've captured! :)
Happy Skywatch!

Anonymous said...

The sunset and the goldenrod are both lovely. Great captures!

Raven said...

Gorgeous sunset. I like your goldenrod shot too. I've been enjoying the goldenrod in my back yard this year. Was interesting to learn that it's wrongly accused of giving people runny noses. Beautiful barn down below too.

Angie said...

A very beautiful photo. Goldenrod is a beautiful plant.Ragweed,I'm guessing is what is also known as ragwort.This grows a lot in the fields around here.It looks nice but is poisonous to horses and cows,I believe.

Ivar Østtun said...

A beautiful sunset. Wonderful SWF :-)

Jules said...

Gold star award for your golden post!!!

me ann my camera said...

The sunset in your first photo is amazing. Wow!

Roan said...

I love goldenrod. It is considered a weed around here, but I think of it as a wild flower. Beautiful shots, as always. Happy Friday. BJ

Dirkjogt said...

Gorgeous pictures again. Always nice to see sunsets like this.

angela said...

I know Golden rod but Ragwort I'm not so sure of..the sunset is glorious..

Unknown said...

Both photos are great, as well as the old barn! I understand why you love barns so much... :-)

Merisi said...

Beautiful sunset and Goldenrod!

I remember a neighbors pond, framed by goldenrod. I loved their reflection in the water! :-)

Gemma Wiseman said...

As always, such stunning pics! And the goldenrod does glow with a lovely hue!

Marina said...

80 comments are too much, but I hope there's room for one more:)
Fantastic view and sunset! These yellow flowers are beautiful! We use them in Greece to the bride's bouquet if she wants it colorfull.

Darla said...

Wouldn't a big bouquet of goldenrod be pretty on a fall table?

You captured the sunset at just the right moment.

Darla

Tanya Breese said...

Gorgeous skywatch! I think I have those growing here, I'll have to go see and match them to your photo!

Mary said...

I love both the sunset and the gorgeous goldenrod! I think our lack of appreciation has a lot to do with many of us sneezing whenever we are near goldenrod :-) It is a beautiful flower and your photo is wonderful!

Luiz Santilli Jr said...

Wonderful sunset!
Great image!
Marvelous post in SWF!!
Have a nice weekend

Santilli

Marcel said...

Who doesn't love a sunset and I think the Goldenrod is very beautiful.

And 85 comments. Wow!~

DeniseinVA said...

Incredible, stunning, beautiful! :)

SaraG said...

Beautiful pictures!

Neva said...

Ack!! Ragweed......my husband suffers greatly from this allergy! Love the goldenrod shot.

magiceye said...

lovely pictures both!

Minkydo said...

Beautiful!

Daryl said...

ACHOOO.... sniffle ... its so good my allergies thought it was real!

Happy Weekend!
:-Daryl

Bramblemoon Farm said...

What a lovely sunset-- so peaceful. I thought I was the only one who loved goldenrod. I even hate to mention it because some are so hateful of it. I try to tell them it's not ragweed, but few believe me:) It brightens up my pasture, so I will keep it!

Catherine said...

Love the golden association. And this colorful sunset.
I think I've already seen this plant. Didn't even know its name!

Unknown said...

Very nice sunset and the goldenrod

Jeanne said...

Beautiful sky and such a flat horizon!

chrome3d said...

That´s a lovely sunset. Soon it will be cold but there is still a warm feeling for some minutes. I don´t mind goldenrod.

Kerri Farley said...

Oh, a beautiful sunset...and I LOVE how you captured the golden rod. I LOVE this wildflower!!

Arija said...

Glad you stopped to give us that great sunset so that you could also add the golden rod which actually is a very useful dye plant
listed in India Flint's Éco - Colour', a veritable bibel for natural dye makers.

Tash said...

100th comment & maybe not the last. I'm sure everyone has said it all but here goes: Wish I was there - it's so beautiful and inviting.

Katarina said...

What a great sunset! You're right about Goldenrod, they were used in European gardens s ome years ago, now they've spread into the wild.
/Katarina

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East Gwillimbury is a rural town less than an hour north of Toronto, Canada's largest city. My family calls me CameraGirl because I take my camera with me wherever I go.