The work of maintaining Sheffield Island Lighthouse is a year-round project. Thankfully, the Seaport Association has many loyal volunteers who help maintain the island. New volunteers are always welcome, just email us @ info@lighthouse.org or call us at 203-838-9444 - there is always plenty to do!
October on Sheffield Island is the time of year when Seaport volunteers are busy getting the Lighthouse ready for the winter months that are just around the corner. The first order of winterizing Sheffield Island Lighthouse is to make sure all the windows are closed and locked, including the windows in the Lighthouse tower. Next on the agenda, our volunteers clean and dust and, finally, they cover up all the furniture for added protection. Outside, the windows of the Lighthouse and the Lightkeepers cottage are boarded up to keep them safe and sound from the harsh winter sea winds that batter the island.
Outside, the dock is taken out of the water and stored, the ceiling fans are removed from the pavilion, and all big equipment is put away. Finally, the telescope that so many summer visitors enjoy using and, all the colorful signage around the island and on the nature trails are taken down and stored. A final walk about the Island is done to make sure nothing has been overlooked.
A walk around Sheffield Island in October is lovely with the colors of fall foliage interspersed with the dark green of the island's pine trees. Here and there, you will see several autumn flowers, including Goldenrod, a fall perennial that usually gets a bad rap! Goldenrod isn't an allergen, that's ragweed! Goldenrod's pollen is heavy and sticky and can't fly through the air, like ragweed's can! Goldenrod has been used medicinally for centuries and is a favorite of many pollinators, making it good for the environment.
Goldenrod is a plant in the Aster or Sunflower family that is native to North America. It attracts many pollinators and even Monarch Butterflies in the summer. It flowers beginning in late August, so if you take a cruise to the Island with us in late -summer or early fall, you may see this lovely yellow flower peeking through the foliage on the Nature Trail.
Its scientific name, "Solidago" means to make whole or to heal. Historically, there were many medicinal uses for Goldenrod. Native Americans made a compound of the flowers and applied this mixture to burns and other skin problems. They also chewed on the leaves to relieve sore throats and toothaches. In folk medicine, tea was made and taken to soothe a sore throat and to aid digestion. After the Boston Tea Party, Goldenrod mixed with Chamomile became known as "liberty tea" and was enjoyed as a substitute for tea imported from Great Britain! Today, it has been found that Goldenrod contains saponins that have antifungal properties and flavonoids that have anti-inflammatory properties.
This October, even though you may not be visiting Sheffield Island with us, you will certainly see goldenrod, which proliferates this time of year! Just keep in mind, that it is the wind-pollinated plants like Ragweed that happen to look similar to Goldenrod and share the same blooming period that is the culprit for hayfever this time of year!
Did You Know...
The young leaves of Goldenrod are said to taste like French tarragon
Certain species of goldenrod leaves contain rubber.
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| Model T Ford, 1908 |
Thomas Edison made tires for his Model T Ford that was given to him by his friend, Henry Ford using rubber extracted from Goldenrod. Unfortunately, the quality of the rubber wasn't good enough to be commercially extracted.
Goldenrod is the state flower of Kentucky and Nebraska.
