Calico Aster
By Lise Fracalossi
aka side-flowering aster
Symphyotrichum lateriflorum
Native to: All of New England
Life cycle: Perennial
Light: Full Sun to Full Shade
Soil Moisture: Medium-Wet to Medium-Dry
Height: 2’
Spacing: 18-36"
Blooms: August-October
Bloom Color: White, Purple
Natural Habitat: Forest edges, forests, meadows and fields
Benefits: Pollinator Favorite, Bird Favorite
“Calico American-aster is so called because the disk flowers start out yellow and turn dark purple or red with age. Often a single plant will have flowers of both colors.”
– Go Botany
“Loose clusters of multiple flowering heads are found concentrated mainly on one side of the widely spreading branches of Calico Aster. Like most Asters, it attracts a variety of insects but it has shorter nectar tubes. The species gets its common name from the variety of colors of its blossoms’ central disks.”
– Prairie Moon Nursery
Calico aster (Symphyotrichum lateriflorum)
Photo (and banner image) by Elise Smith, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Public Domain