Goldenrod is blooming all over right now and it is being blamed by allergy sufferers for those allergy symptoms but the true culprit is ragweed.

Both plants bloom from late summer to early fall, but goldenrod, true to its name, produces those golden flowers on single-stemmed plants. Ragweeds have small, green flowers that are rarely noticed. Ragweeds produce lots of pollen sending it freely into the winds. Goldenrods produce far less pollen because they are both wind and insect-pollinated.One of my favorite fall things to do on a hike is look for goldenrod galls on the plant stems.Goldenrod galls? What are they? A gall is a plant's reaction to an injury. This gall is formed when a female goldenrod gall fly lays an egg in the stem of the plant. Other egg-laying insects such as aphids, midges, wasps, or mites can be responsible for galls, too.The female lays her egg on the plant in the spring and the young insect bores its way into the plant creating the injury and the resulting gall. The tiny insect is protected throughout the winter to emerge in the spring. This gall provides a home for the larva, where it can develop. And it is a pretty amazing home with strong walls to protect it from predators and a constant supply of food. Each type of gall-producer is specific to a particular kind of plant. Galls may appear as balls, knobs, lumps, or warts.Noticing a tiny exit hole is a clue that the insect made it out to start the life cycle over again. A larger hole indicates that a bird has discovered the tasty treat inside.One of the most interesting things to do with a gall is to open it and see if that small insect is tucked away inside. At the center, we are constantly telling school children that no harm should come to any creature because it has a job to do. The same is true with the tiny larvae in these galls.After carefully opening the gall and discovering the larva it is possible to close the gall with a small piece of tape and put it back out in the field. By doing this you may be able to ensure it stays safe until it is time to emerge. Opening one or two galls will not impact on the population enough to cause an issue and the learning that happens when a child sees that larva is certainly worth our intruding into the animal's world.Another common gall is the oak apple gall so named because the galls resemble small apples and are commonly found on many species of oak. Oak apple galls are formed the same way goldenrod galls are with the exception that the oak apple galls are formed on the leaves of the oak trees.The adult female wasp lays single eggs in developing leaf buds. The wasp larvae feed on the gall tissue and create an exit hole to start the whole life cycle over again. Galls generally do not cause harm to the trees or plants and do not need to be treated with insecticides.Interestingly, some galls are useful to human culture. Various galls have been used as a source of ink. Some galls contain 50 to 65 percent tannic acid and are very useful in ink or in dyes for wool or for tanning leather.The Greeks used galls for lamp fuel. Honeydew producing galls are used to attract bees and flies in the agricultural industry. Some galls have been known to be used for food and medicine.I don't think having a lot of "gall" is a bad thing at all. How about you?