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Showy Goldenrod

Solidago speciosa var. speciosa

In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in pastures, forests, woodlands, roadbanks. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you

93
Keystone

Native to Arkansas (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 94%

Height
2–7 feet
Spread
2–3 feet
Light
Full sun
Soil moisture
Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2.5 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 16 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
August to October
Fruiting season
Fall

Recorded in 6 Arkansas counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 2

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Arkansas. Shared habitat, not food. 86 animals.

All wildlife of Arkansas

Care

  • Optional bloom tip: Removing spent flower clusters can encourage more blooms.
Care sources
Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

95CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR

Genus host records with ranges including AR · Solidago

  • Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
  • Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Ancylis floridanaStrawberry Leafroller
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Bucculatrix angustataNarrow Bucculatrix
Show all 95
  • Catabena lineolataFine-Lined Sallow
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
  • Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
  • Condica vidensWhite-Dotted Groundling
  • Cremastobombycia solidaginisGoldenrod Leafminer
  • Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
  • Cucullia asteroidesThe Asteroid, Asteroid Paint, Goldenrod Hooded Owlet
  • Cucullia speyeriSpeyer's Cucullia, Speyer's Paint
  • Dichomeris bilobellaBilobed Dichomeris Moth
  • Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris inserrataIndented Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris nonstrigellaLittle Devil, The Little Devil
  • Dichomeris ochripalpellaShining Dichomeris Moth
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
  • Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
  • Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
  • Epiblema tripartitanaThree-Parted Epiblema
  • Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
  • Eucosma ochroterminanaBuff-Tipped Phaneta
  • Eucosma raracanaReddish Eucosma, Reddish Phaneta
  • Eucosma umbrastrianaShaded Phaneta
  • Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
  • Eupithecia absinthiataWormwood Pug, Composite Pug
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginisGoldenrod Gall Moth
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hellinsia kellicottiiGoldenrod Borer Plume Moth
  • Herpetogramma aeglealisSerpentine Webworm
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
  • Leuconycta diphteroidesGreen Leuconycta
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Orthodes cynicaCynical Quaker, Cynical Groundcat
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Pelochrista cataclystianaSolidaga Eucosma, Solidaga Pelochrista
  • Pelochrista derelictaDerelict Eucosma
  • Pelochrista dorsisignatanaTriangle-Backed Eucosma
  • Pelochrista robinsonanaRobinson's Pelochrista, Robinson's Eucosma
  • Pelochrista similianaSimilar Eucosma
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
  • Schinia nundinaGoldenrod Flower Moth
  • Sonia canadanaCanadian Sonia Moth
  • Sonia constrictanaConstricted Sonia
  • Sparganothis distinctaDistinct Sparganothis
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
  • Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
  • Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth
  • Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Xestia smithiiSmith's Dart
  • Zale lunataLunate Zale
  • Anania mysippusalis
  • Astrotischeria solidagonifoliella
  • Bucculatrix magnella
  • Dichomeris agonia
  • Epiblema desertana
  • Epiblema obfuscana
  • Hahncappsia marculenta
  • Hellinsia lacteodactylus
  • Helvibotys helvialis
  • Isophrictis similiella
  • Pelochrista vagana
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
82BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Solidago

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
36Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Solidago

  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena braccata
  • Andrena canadensis
  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Andrena fulvipennis
  • Andrena hirticincta
  • Andrena nubecula
  • Andrena placata
  • Andrena simplex
  • Calliopsis coloradensis
Show all 36
  • Colletes americanus
  • Colletes compactus
  • Colletes rufocinctus
  • Colletes simulans
  • Colletes solidaginis
  • Colletes speculiferus
  • Colletes thysanellae
  • Dianthidium simile
  • Megachile inimica
  • Megachile xylocopoides
  • Melissodes coreopsis
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes druriellus
  • Melissodes fumosus
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Melissodes niveus
  • Melissodes trinodis
  • Perdita boltoniae
  • Perdita bruneri
  • Perdita laticincta
  • Perdita octomaculata
  • Perdita swenki
  • Protandrena aestivalis
  • Protandrena andrenoides
  • Protandrena citripes
  • Protandrena compositarum
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Solidago

  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Flies 1
  • Scepsis fulvicollis

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 1
  • Vanessa huntera

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 1
  • Polistes variatus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Flower color
Yellow
Fruit begins
Fall
Fruit ends
Fall

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Noble Goldenrod; Solidago speciosa var. speciosa

Conservation status

Arkansas rankSNR
Global rankG5
AR statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Sources