Smooth Blue Aster

September 6, 2025

Smooth Blue Aster (Symphyotrichum laeve) blooming up here right now in many places on the mountain. Blooming for about four to six weeks, providing nectar for pollinators late in the season.

Though I adore deep, rich, pure color; I must admit this lavender shade is beautiful. As this bloom ages the color may deepen, which would please me even more.

This Aster, as well as many other species, is a host plant for some butterflies including the Pearl Crescent (Phyciodes tharos).

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Published by

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.