At this time of year, when the stems of Canada Goldenrod turn brown, the galls also turn colour and to me, they look like bronzed globes, very attractive when seen up close in sunlight. These are made by the goldenrod gall fly, who lays her eggs one to a stem. Soon, the stem swells around the egg and hardens, forming a protective cover for the egg and eventually the larva, inside. This does no damage to the plant. These galls (the insect inside them)are actually a very important food source in fall and winter for woodpeckers, chickadees, red squirrels, mice, etc. In fact, you will see that many of the galls have either nice round holes in them, or have been chewed in half. It is a wonder that any larvae survive to become adults!