“The lands are lit with all the autumn blaze of golden-rod, and everywhere the purple asters nod and bend and wave and flit.”
…..so it must be Autumn! I literally do a happy dance when I see the first native, tall, New England asters blooming throughout my garden and meadow.
And then I watch for them in and among the goldenrod on the roadsides….as they love to bloom together making pollinators and butterflies happy.
I need to add the native Helianthus to the asters and goldenrod, for a blooming trio in my garden, making monarchs dizzy with delight.
Phlox also continues to bloom much to the bliss of Tiger Swallowtails.
And let’s not forget Joe Pye. All these late summer, early fall blooms sing together in harmony in the garden.
Joe Pye also feeds the monarchs with nectar for a couple of months before they migrate.
But my first love is definitely aster…..I swoon as each bloom opens in the morning light. And I allow them to volunteer everywhere; this year especially.
And that is wonderful news for the monarchs and other butterflies migrating. Most sunny days you will find me wandering the early autumn garden, watching butterflies as they nectar all day on the asters, drifting and lingering.
Recently the aster has attracted a new butterfly to my garden; American Painted Lady. I have had dozens covering the large aster patch next to the pond and veg garden.
To me, asters look like party favors made from brightly colored paper, each petal individually cut and curled with scissors.
When we finally have a hard frost, and the asters are done blooming, I grieve. For I know the colorful blooms give way to the colors of the woods and soon only green and brown remain until next spring.
What flowers sing of fall or a change of seasons for you?
Falling In Love With An Autumn Vase
Even though it is autumn, our summer weather (hot and dry) started in early September finally, or again, and is continuing through this week. But the weather will change quickly enough, to early autumn temps of 60s in the day, and 40s at night when October rolls around.
This vase is filled with early autumn native flowers: Symphyotrichum novae-angliae or ‘New England Asters’ and native perennial Helianthus, Helianthus divaricatus. I have profiled these on my blog in the past. You can find them listed on my new Favorite Native Plants page listing native plants that I have profiled that grow in my garden. You can see it at the top of the blog or on the side bar.
I created another vase with off-white asters, Eupatorium purpureum or ‘Joe Pye’, Sanguisorba officinalis or ‘Great Burnet’ and some plumes from grasses now blooming. I love the artsy effect of this vase, created by the apps I reference below.
I am joining Cathy@Rambling in the Garden for her wonderful In A Vase on Monday meme. The pictures shared here were created with my iPod Touch camera and two free apps, Pixlr and Prisma.
I am posting poetry, almost weekly on Sundays, on my other blog, Living From Happiness. You can read my latest poem here.
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