september wildflowers

this is a wide-spread but somewhat rare form of goldenrod called stiff or stiff-leaved goldenrod. i discovered it just last year. i know of only one patch of it in my well-trodden five mile walking radius. it’s my secret. i doubt anyone else in my community has ever heard of it, and certainly wouldn’t be able to find some. it’s my secret knowledge. it feels like sharing secrets as a kid–a shorthand for a certain kind of intimacy. bio-intimacy: if it’s not a thing, it should be.

stiff goldenrod (Solidago rigida)