The Best Native Ex-Aster Is A Very, Very Late Bloomer!

Symphyotrichum praealtum with its telltale prominent veining

'Miss Bessie' is a very, very, late blooming flower in my garden. It begins opening in mid to late October just as the Little ex-asters are starting to fade and continues to bloom through much of November. It has survived light frosts and we'll see today whether it survived the freezing fog that is forecast this morning.

Even after fifteen straight hours of rain the willow aster is the place to bee for nectar

It's an extremely important food source for pollinators still out and about on those beautiful warm fall days; one source suggests that it's a go to food source for migrating Monarch Butterflies. If you garden along the monarch trail I recommend planting this beauty (Prairie Moon Nursery has seeds).

Bumble moving very slow stops to nectar on 

I am thrilled when royalty stops by the garden, but, all the pollinators adore this beauty. By all, I mean every Bumble, tiny little fly, small bee or Skipper that's in the garden can be found nectaring on the sweet lilac-blue flowers from the time the sun moves past the canopy trees and warms up the garden, until it sets and everything cools off.

It leans toward the sun in less than full sun settings

Symphyotrichum praealtum is a tall grass prairie native that is harder to find than a tall grass prairie. It's listed as an endangered and threatened species in several states, including Tennessee, and in several Canadian provinces. (Go here to read about rescue efforts in Canada.) Luckily for me, blogging friend, Sweetbay, generously shared several starts of 'Miss Bessie' a few years ago. I am happy to say they bloomed that first fall and every one since then. It's ironic and wonderful that an endangered Middle Tennessee wildflower found its way home from NC. The resident pollinator send their thanks and love to you SB!

Willowleaf aster is an important late fall source of nectar and pollen

In my garden,  Willowleaf aster stands straight and tall until the top heavy blooms have it leaning toward the sun. It sways in the slightest breeze and only patience and hundreds of shots yields a good photo of any pollinators nectaring!  

You can tell this is a fly by its stubby antennae 

I'm scattering seeds and moving a plant or two to the hillside garden along with Chasmanthium laterfolium, Panicum virgatum and Rudbeckia triloba, where they can all colonize to their heart's content!

I can see it now~the best ever, late blooming native ex-aster swaying and dancing with the River Oats
while Bumbles nectar on its blooms.

xoxogail

PS It goes without saying, but you know me, I have to say it. If you want happy pollinators to live and visit your garden, you must, never, ever, ever, ever use pesticides. I'm not kidding...



Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone. She reminds all that the words and images are the property of the author and cannot be used without written permission.

Where Have All The Pollinators Gone?

 They're still here!

Especially now that the Willowleaf Aster is in bloom.   It's THE gathering place for all the bumbles and a few smaller bees at the end of a hard day!  Boy, do they ever have hard days!

Now that's a  beauty of Green Metallic Bee on an asteraceae!

Before winter begins our native bees need to collect as much pollen and nectar for their offspring as is possible.  Some will work themselves to exhaustion and sleep on the underside of the plant  until the sun warms their bodies to over 50F when they'll buzz back to work. 

If you garden in a climate colder then mine, your local bees may have already decamped for the winter.   Decamped being a euphemism for shuffled off this mortal coil or perhaps even gone underground.   But, here, the local/native bees are still working  flowers for every bit of pollen and nectar they can collect.   When a killing frost  finally puts the  flowers out of the pollen/nectar making business,  our Bumbles and small bees will spend the winter in their nest  as  immature  larvae or in an adult stage waiting until Spring to emerge and begin their short and intensely busy life cycle.   

In the meantime, Symphyotrichum praealtum 'Miss Bessie' (here to see if  she'll grow in your garden)   and other late blooming plants  are hosting a party for every Bumble, Bee Mimic, Wasp, Bee Fly or  Honeybee that lives here or visits the garden.  The party will last most of November and even survive mild frosts.


Please feel free to stop by to say hello to  the revelers! 


xxoogail

PS In case you've forgotten the Golden Rules for attracting pollinators to your garden:

• plant large swathes of pollinator friendly, nectar and pollen producers
• plant host plants~don't stop at nectar and pollen plants
• plan for bloom from late spring to early winter.
• bee sure to include water
• provide nesting sites for a variety of visitors,  leave some bare ground (ix-nay on the plastic landscape cloth), decaying logs and even special bee houses

Now, please raise your hand and solemnly swear that you will never, ever, ever, ever, ever use pesticides in your garden. Now don't you feel better for having made that commitment! I know I do. 

In case you want to read earlier pollinator posts~

Now Is The Time To Bee-gin Thinking About Bees ( here)
This Is The Place To Bee ( here)
If You Could Plant Only One Plant In Your Garden~Don't (here)
Must Bee The Season of The Witch (here)
Go Bare In Your Garden (here)
We can't All Be Pretty Pollinators (here)
Eye, Eye Skipper, Big Eyed Pollinators (here)
What's In Your Garden (here)
Royalty In The Garden~Monarch Butterfly (here)
Carpenter Bees (here)
Got Wildflowers?(here)
It's Spring and A Gardener's Thoughts Are On Pollinators (here)
The Wildflower and The Bee (here)
A Few Good Reasons To Plant Milkweek (here)
Got Shade? You Can Have Pollinators ( (here)
A Pollinator friendly Shrub (here)
Big Goings On at C and L (here)

Other bee posts you might want to read~

Count Yourself Lucky To Have Hoverflies ( here)
Bumblebee Hotel (here)
Still Taking Care Of Bzzness (here)
My Sweet Embraceable You (here)



Gail Eichelberger is a gardener and therapist in Middle Tennessee. She loves wildflowers and native plants and thoroughly enjoys writing about the ones she grows at Clay and Limestone."