Frost aster sightings are fading fast as fall bloom winds down
iNaturalist Community
Phenology
If you've noticed clouds of small white daisy-like flowers lining roadsides and fields this month, you're watching frost aster hit the tail end of its bloom, a useful cue that late-season pollinators are running out of nectar sources before winter.
Frost aster is one of those scrappy white asters that pops up everywhere in late summer and fall, in meadows, along roads, and at the edges of yards. Thousands of people on iNaturalist have been photographing it this week, but far fewer than last week, which tracks with its bloom season naturally tapering off as the weather cools.
Key Findings
615 observations of frost aster were logged in the US in the past 7 days, among the highest counts for any plant species on the platform.
That's a drop of 432 observations compared to the prior week's count of 1,047, a decline of roughly 41%.
Frost aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum) belongs to the Asteraceae family, the same family as daisies, sunflowers, and other common asters.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Frost aster, a common fall-blooming wildflower, was spotted 615 times on iNaturalist across the US this past week, though sightings dropped sharply from 1,047 the week before as the season's peak bloom passes.
Abstract Preview
Original paper
Trending: frost aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum) — 615 observations this week
Frost aster (Symphyotrichum pilosum) is a species in the family Asteraceae. iNaturalist users recorded 615 observations of it in the United States in the 7 days before today, among the most for any...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Species Mentioned
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Mountain meadows and wildflower-rich grasslands many people hike through and depend on for clean water and biodiversity are quietly transforming underground ...
Symphyotrichum pilosum is a perennial, herbaceous, flowering plant in the Asteraceae family native to central and eastern North America. It is commonly called hairy white oldfield aster, frost aster, white heath aster, heath aster, hairy aster, common old field aster, old field aster, awl aster, ...