Short's Aster

Symphyotrichum shortii

Found in dry, rocky slopes; rock outcrops in wooded situations, calcareous hammocks (in FL). FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

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Height: Up to about 5 feet
Light: Part shade, Shade
Soil moisture: Usually moist

Will it fit your yard?

Symphyotrichum shortii — bloom photograph — no rights reserved · CC0 · Original photograph

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: August to October

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 3 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Rock outcrop on a mountain summit. Shown: Sassafras Mountain, on the North Carolina and South Carolina line, a neighboring state.Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record. Faithful JPEG display decode of embedded JP2; no AI or color enhancement. Phone derivative resized proportionally.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 100 animals.

Acadian Flycatcher
Empidonax virescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Alder Flycatcher
Empidonax alnorum
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Crow
Corvus brachyrhynchos
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Goldfinch
Carduelis tristis
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Kestrel
Falco sparverius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Redstart
Setophaga ruticilla
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Robin
Turdus migratorius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Bald Eagle
Haliaeetus leucocephalus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Baltimore Oriole
Icterus galbula
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Barred Owl
Strix varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Belted Kingfisher
Megaceryle alcyon
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-and-White Warbler
Mniotilta varia
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-billed Cuckoo
Coccyzus erythropthalmus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Dendroica caerulescens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Black-throated Green Warbler
Dendroica virens
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blackburnian Warbler
Dendroica fusca
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Grosbeak
Passerina caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue Jay
Cyanocitta cristata
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-gray Gnatcatcher
Polioptila caerulea
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-headed Vireo
Vireo solitarius
Birds. 1 shared habitat
Blue-winged Warbler
Vermivora pinus
Birds. 1 shared habitat

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

96CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Symphyotrichum

Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent
Abagrotis magnicupidaOne-Dotted Dart
Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
Allagrapha aereaUnspotted Looper Moth
Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
Bucculatrix angustataNarrow Bucculatrix
Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth

Show all 96

Chlosyne harrisiiHarris' Checkerspot
Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
Chytonix palliatriculaCloaked Marvel
Clepsis clemensianaClemens' Clepsis
Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
Cochylichroa hoffmananaHoffman's Cochlid Moth
Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
Condica vidensWhite-Dotted Groundling
Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
Cucullia alfarataCamphorweed Cucullia, Halloween Paint, Camphorweed Cucullia
Cucullia asteroidesThe Asteroid, Asteroid Paint, Goldenrod Hooded Owlet
Cucullia convexipennisBrown Hooded Owlet, Calico Paint
Cucullia floreaGray Hooded Owlet
Cucullia speyeriSpeyer's Cucullia, Speyer's Paint
Dichomeris bilobellaBilobed Dichomeris Moth
Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
Dichomeris ochripalpellaShining Dichomeris Moth
Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
Eucosma ochroterminanaBuff-Tipped Phaneta
Eucosma parmatanaAster Eucosma, Aster Flowerhead Caterpillar
Eucosma tomonanaAster-Head Phaneta
Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Eupithecia satyrataSatyr Pug
Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
Eupsilia deviaLost Sallow
Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
Feltia herilisMaster's Dart
Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
Gnorimoschema gallaeasterellaGoldenrod Gall Moth
Heliothis phloxiphagaSpotted Straw Sun Moth, Darker Spotted Straw Moth
Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
Homoeosoma electellaSunflower Moth
Hyppa xylinoidesCommon Hyppa
Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Lascoria ambigualisAmbiguous Moth, Ambiguous Litter Moth
Leuconycta diphteroidesGreen Leuconycta
Lioptilodes albistriolatusMousy Plume Moth
Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
Melanchra assimilisBlack Arches
Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
Mythimna unipunctaArmyworm Moth, White Speck
Ochropleura implectaAmerican Flame-Shouldered Dart
Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
Papaipema cataphractaBurdock Border, Potato-Stalk Borer
Papaipema impecuniosaAster Borer
Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
Pero morrisonariaMorrison's Pero
Phyciodes cocytaNorthern Crescent, Crescentspot
Phycitodes reliquellaWhite-Edged Phycitodes
Platynota flavedanaBlack-Shaded Platynota
Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
Ponometia candefactaOlive-Shaded Bird-Dropping Moth
Pseudorthodes vecorsSmall Brown Quaker, Small Brown Groundcat
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Schinia arcigeraArcigera Flower Moth
Schinia septentrionalisNorthern Flower Moth
Scopula inductataSoft-Lined Wave
Sonia canadanaCanadian Sonia Moth
Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Sparganothis unifascianaOne-Lined Sparganothis
Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
Sutyna privataCheckered Sallow, Private Sallow
Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
Tornos scolopacinariaDimorphic Gray
Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
Vanessa virginiensisAmerican Lady, American Painted Lady
Xestia smithiiSmith's Dart
Astrotischeria astericola
Bucculatrix cuneigera
Carmenta ithacae
Dichomeris agonia
Hellinsia glenni
Landryia impositella
Paralobesia vernoniana
Pseudotelphusa carduiella
Xenotemna pallorana

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

79BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Symphyotrichum

Individual names are not available yet.

Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

45Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Symphyotrichum

Andrena asteris
Andrena asteroides
Andrena braccata
Andrena bullata
Andrena canadensis
Andrena chromotricha
Andrena fulvipennis
Andrena hirticincta
Andrena nubecula
Andrena placata

Show all 45

Andrena simplex
Anthophorula asteris
Ashmeadiella bucconis
Calliopsis coloradensis
Colletes americanus
Colletes compactus
Colletes rufocinctus
Colletes simulans
Colletes speculiferus
Dianthidium curvatum
Dianthidium simile
Dieunomia nevadensis
Melissodes boltoniae
Melissodes confusus
Melissodes denticulatus
Melissodes dentiventris
Melissodes druriellus
Melissodes fumosus
Melissodes illatus
Melissodes menuachus
Melissodes niveus
Melissodes subillatus
Melissodes trinodis
Melissodes vernoniae
Melissodes wheeleri
Paranthidium jugatorium
Perdita bruneri
Perdita ignota
Perdita octomaculata
Perdita xanthismae
Protandrena aestivalis
Protandrena andrenoides
Protandrena citripes
Protandrena compositarum
Protandrena illinoiensis

Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0

3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Aster

Alectoris chukarChukar
Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Asteraceae
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Purple

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “August to October” · FloraQuest: Carolinas, Georgia (Southeastern Flora Team), phone app (app page) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Height · “Up to about 5 feet” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs)
Life cycle · “Perennial” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Light · “Part shade; Shade” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
primary_flower_color · “purple” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil · “Moist” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Soil pH · “Acidic” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Also known as

Shorts Aster; aster

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S1
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Short's Aster

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

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