This shade-loving aster is popping up everywhere right now
iNaturalist Community
Native Plants
If you've got dappled shade under trees in your yard or notice small blue-white daisies lining a woodland trail this month, you're likely seeing this exact aster hitting peak bloom.
Common Blue Wood Aster is a native wildflower that grows in shady woods and produces small, pale blue daisy-like flowers in late summer and fall. This week, nearly 300 people logged verified sightings of it on iNaturalist, which just means a lot of it is blooming right now and a lot of people are noticing. It's a good reminder that late-season asters are an easy, low-effort native plant to spot on a walk or add to a shade garden.
Key Findings
293 research-grade observations logged in a single week
Ranked among the most-observed plant species on iNaturalist this week
Species is a shade-tolerant native aster typically blooming in late summer to fall
chevron_right Technical Summary
Common Blue Wood Aster is having a big week on iNaturalist, with 293 verified sightings logged by citizen scientists as it comes into bloom across its range. The surge shows how easy it is for anyone to track fall wildflower activity just by paying attention outdoors.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: Common Blue Wood Aster (Symphyotrichum cordifolium) — 293 observations this week
Common Blue Wood Aster is among the most observed plant species this week with 293 research-grade observations.
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Symphyotrichum cordifolium, commonly known as common blue wood aster, heartleaf aster, and blue wood-aster, is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant in the family Asteraceae native to central and eastern North America. It reaches heights of up to 1.2 meters and has bluish daisy-like flowers whic...