ASTER-onomy at its finest.
Their branching stems can't choose
between all the different ways to grow,
limiting themselves to a single direction.
So they don't.
Crooked is their path
from ground to sky,
a winding journey towards their destination:
tiny stars.
Lavender petals radiate from a stardust-yellow core.
Scatter them, galaxy-like, along wooded edges, banks, and boggy borders,
and reward brave insects charting courses through space
who land among them.
Conditions: Full sun to partial shade; moist soil with good drainage
Size: 1' - 4' tall, 1' - 2' wide
Zone: 4 - 7
Wildlife Value: Flowers support hover flies, skippers, bumblebees, and small bees, including several pollen specialists (Andrena asteris, Andrena asteroides, Andrena hirticincta, and Colletes simulans); larval host for dozens of species of butterflies and moths
Photo: Samantha Nestory