Aromatic Aster Time

I was thinking that it was about bloom time for the Aromatic Aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium) and sure enough this afternoon I came upon a few flowers. Just the beginning.

It’s an herbaceous perennial, native to parts of the eastern and central United States, grows 2 to 4 feet tall. It’s the host plant for the Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis). Many pollinators seek out the nectar, bees, butterflies and skippers.

Actually the flowers don’t have a scent but rubbing the leaves will give the aroma of balsam.

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Brenda Clements Jones

Brenda is a certified Virginia Master Naturalist, a Habitat Defender for Shenandoah National Park, and a devoted fan of Mother Nature. She lives in a cabin in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Shenandoah National Park, and hikes up to the higher elevations of her mountain often to see what nature is up to. Her constant hiking companion is a camera that captures nature as it unfolds through the seasons. It’s her goal to share the natural world around her through her photographs.