This white wildflower is blooming everywhere right now
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
If you spot clusters of small white daisy-like flowers along woodland edges or damp meadows this week, you're likely looking at flat-top white aster, a native plant that's a late-season lifeline for bees and butterflies stocking up before fall.
Flat-top white aster is a native wildflower with clusters of small white blooms that show up in late summer and fall, usually in moist meadows, woodland edges, and roadside ditches. Right now it's one of the most-logged plants on iNaturalist, with over 200 people confirming sightings in just one week. That surge means it's in peak bloom across a wide area, so it's an easy one to learn to identify on your next walk.
Key Findings
207 research-grade observations of Doellingeria umbellata were logged on iNaturalist in a single week
The species ranked among the most-observed plants on the platform during this period
The spike reflects peak late-summer to early-fall bloom timing across its native range
chevron_right Technical Summary
A late-summer wildflower called flat-top white aster is having a moment on iNaturalist, with 207 verified sightings logged in a single week, showing it's actively blooming and easy to spot right now across its range.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: flat-top white aster (Doellingeria umbellata) — 207 observations this week
flat-top white aster is among the most observed plant species this week with 207 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Doellingeria umbellata, known by the common names tall flat-topped white aster, parasol whitetop, or tall white-aster, is a North American plant species in the family Asteraceae. It is native to Canada, St. Pierre and Miquelon, and the eastern and north-central United States (from Nebraska and th...