Shining Aster
Symphyotrichum firmum is a perennial wildflower native to Michigan and the Upper Peninsula and is also known as Shining, Shiny-leaved, or Smooth Swamp Aster.
This showy aster is 3 to 5 feet tall and flowers from August to October with clusters of pale blue blossoms.
It prefers full sun to partial shade, medium to wet soil and will grow in muck, clay or loam. It spreads slowly by rhizome and can make large drifts of color. Pairs well with Grassleaf Goldenrod, Cutleaf Coneflower, and Marsh Blazingstar for a vibrant late summer display.
Shining Aster is an important fall nectar plant and its drifts of flowers attract a variety of bees, butterflies, moths, and other pollinators. Fall nectar is essential for migrating insects (e.g., Monarch Butterflies), those that overwinter as adults (e.g., Comma & Mourning Cloak Butterflies, new queen bees), and those that need fuel to finish their brood chambers or mate before frost comes (many bee species). Asters are also the caterpillar host plant for Checkerspot and Crescent butterflies. Many other insects use various parts of the aster, In addition to fall seeds, the profusion of insect life makes aster an excellent food plant for birds.