Diane, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford once saw a different kind of "gold" in goldenrod. Eager for an alternative to foreign rubber, Edison latched onto goldenrod. (This 1929 piece describes what he was after: time.com/archive/681916…) He made it work, but the process was unprofitable.

Gotta say that I'm glad. We humans are in the exploiting habit. It's so good to see something we can love just for its own lovely self. Thank you, thank you for the memorable photos!