One alive and flowering and colorful, the other dead and dry

Click for greater clarity.

One of the treats of autumn is goldenrod (genus Solidago), a flowering cohort of which you see here. The tall, dried-out stalks are from the previous year’s colony of giant ragweed, Ambrosia trifida.

I took this sunny photograph on October 6th near Naruna Way in northeast Austin. In the three weeks since then, much of the goldenrod in Austin has been fading, but individual plants here and there remain vibrant.

© 2013 Steven Schwartzman