The end of spring brings a change in the garden as bulbs complete their yearly show and make way for new divas of the garden. The new beauties use design and color to attract attention of the needed pollinators. One is known for its goatee. Beards are found on many creatures and come in a wide variety of shapes, sizes, textures and colors. The beards in this image are supposed to resemble the “silky” strands of hair in a goats’ beards. They look a lot like the delicate crochet braids popular today. Blooms and seed heads do not mimic the tuft of hair on a chin know as a goatee.

Goatsbeard (Aruncus dioicus) is an native perennial in the Midwest so it was an appropriate purchase for my garden several years ago. It prefers moist shade, so it’s vibrant floral display is welcome in the otherwise shades-of-green setting under our aging evergreen tree. Persons unfamiliar with Goatsbeard may mistake it for a super-sized version of Astilbe, another shade loving plant with fernlike leaves and similar branching flowers in various colors.