I'm a big fan of roadside plants (native) as well as very fond of asters so it should be no surprise that I appreciate the tiny white asters on the side of the road and abandoned fields each fall. I appreciate them because I know they are a major source of pollen and nectar for migrating butterflies and late bees.
This week I had to kill some time waiting on someone at a medical appointment and the property adjacent was a field with native grasses and tiny white asters. I wandered over to explore the species found there (you may remember my blog from last October about those tiny white asters) and found the usual oldfield white asters Symphyotrichum pilosum and S. racemosum covered in tiny flowers.
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| Bee on Symphyotrichum pilosum |
As I watched, each plant had stems dipping and swaying as bees worked them over. The very occasional butterfly came by, several each of Gulf fritillary and Common buckeye. As I moved closer to the flowers to see who was visiting, the gentle hum of the bees replaced the sound of the cars going by and a bird called in the distance. The bumble bee in this photo thoroughly examined every flower on the plant, sure to get every bit of available pollen and nectar.
Take some time to appreciate #amomentinnature like this when you see these oft-ignored plants supporting our pollinators right until the end of the season. And we can feel good about them all winter as they provide seeds for resident birds.
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