Interesting Late Summer Plants at Gooseberry Falls

False Sunflower (note the disc flowers)

Wild Hops, yes the same hops used in brewing beer!

Rose Hips

Gall

Just some background information on the above photographs. Hops are native to the United States, but the type used in brewing are usually a hybrid of European and American subspecies.

The gall shown in the last photo was made by an insect called a Goldenrod Gall Fly. It spends its entire life around (or inside of) goldenrod plants. The female goldenrod gall fly will make a small incision into the stem of the plant and lay her eggs inside. When the larvae hatch from the eggs they begin to eat the plant tissues. Their saliva contains a chemical that mimics goldenrod growth hormones and the gall forms as a result.