“New England Aster” By Annie Watson
This is a great year for our native purple New England Aster (Aster novae-angliae) . These perennial flowers provide beautiful fall color in our meadows, hedgerows and roadsides, and food for many creatures including bees and other insects, wild turkeys, deer, and rabbits. The flower petals can be purple, lavender, or light pink in color, while the central disk florets are yellow or gold — the complementary color for purple. When two complementary colors are put next to each other, each color “pops”: The purple looks more purple and the gold looks more gold. This is the last big summer flower to give food for the honeybees. The honey made from these flowers has a hint of spice in its flavor and it crystallizes very quickly in the comb. The flower itself exudes a subtle spicy scent.
As the leaves on the maples turn yellow, orange, and red, warm sunny days have allowed the bees to gather the maximum amount of nectar and pollen from these flowers, as well as the smaller White Heath Aster (Aster pilosus), in their preparations for the colder weather to come.
For more information about this wonderful plant go to http://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/prairie/plantx/ne_asterx.htm