The upright, wiry stems of this aster are loaded with tiny, white, yellow-eyed flowers and glossy, heath-like leaves. The bushy perennial blooms late summer to early fall and excels in sunny, dry conditions. It's a great food source for late-season pollinators.
Plant Characteristics:
Grows 2-3' tall and wide.
Plant in full to part sun.
Adapts to a variety of well-drained soils, including rocky, sandy, and clay. Tolerates poor soils and drought.
Blooms August-October with racemes of 1/2" flowers.
Linear, green leaves are up to 3" long.
Spreads assertively by rhizomes.
Reproductive System: Disc flowers are hermaphroditic (having both male and female organs) and are pollinated by insects.
Wildlife Value: Asters are an extremely important source of late-season pollen and nectar for honeybees and native bees stocking up on food for the winter. Monarchs also rely heavily on asters (and goldenrods) as nourishment to prepare for migration. Additional visitors include dozens of moth species, bumble bees, mining bees, leaf cutter bees, flower flies, bee flies, and soldier beetles. Serves as a host plant for 112 species of lepidoptera in central Ohio, including the pearl crescent, gorgone and silvery checkerspot butterflies pictured here, and the blackberry looper moth. Seedheads in fall and winter attract goldfinches, chickadees, nuthatches and towhees.
Deer may browse on asters, but not as a primary food source. New growth will appear on browsing points, and the plants will be bushier and more sturdy as a result. Songbirds and turkeys consume the seeds later in the season.
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