Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth Aster)

grows 2-4 ft. tall (taller in seasons with more sun and more moisture)

full sun

dry to medium soil

blue to violet blooms from Sept.-Oct.

beneficial to many pollinators including bumble bees, solitary bees, specialist bees, wasps, beetles

*host plant for Schinia arcigera, Schinia septentrionalis, Phyciodes pictus, Phyciodes tharos, Asymmetrura impositella

natural habitat: dry or dry-mesic upland forests, woodlands, clearings, barrens; usually on calcareous or mafic substrates; often on shale