New England Aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Tall clumps carry purple-rayed flowers with yellow centers in late summer and fall. Found in wet meadows, bogs, prairies. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Keystone

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

Profile 100%

Height: 3–6 feet
Spread: 1–3 feet
Light: Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 2 ft apart from its recorded spread, about 25 per 100 sq ft. Enter your bed size for a count

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Symphyotrichum novae-angliae — bloom photograph — Andrew Sebastian · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Herbaceous perennial
Bloom: September to October

JFMAMJJASOND

Not yet recorded · Leaves

Recorded in 5 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

1 of 2

Barrens grassland after a prescribed fire. Shown: Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, a neighboring state.Barrens native plants returning after prescribed fire, September 2020, NPS Photo / Rick Olson, September 2020. Public domain. Source record.

Wet meadows

Open, wet, grassy or sedgy ground that is not a bog.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

92CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · 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 92

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 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 leuconotellaTwo-Spotted Dichomeris
Dichomeris nonstrigellaLittle Devil, The Little Devil
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
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
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
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
Carmenta ithacae
Dichomeris agonia
Dichomeris levisella
Hellinsia glenni
Landryia matutella
Paralobesia vernoniana
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

Songbirds — Eat the seeds

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Asteraceae
Hardiness: Zones 4a–8b
Soil pH: Acidic
Flower color: Yellow or purple

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Give good air circulation. Spring pinching creates bushier plants but delays bloom; tall stems may need support. NC State Extension

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “September to October” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow or purple” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
Hardiness · “Zones 4a–8b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
Height · “3–6 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Minnesota Wildflowers differs)
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)
Soil pH · “Acidic” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Spread · “1–3 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Missouri Botanical Garden Plant Finder differs)

Recognizing it

Hairy, stem-clasping leaves and dense flower heads with many narrow purple rays. Identification source

Also known as

Aster novae angliae; Aster novae-angliae; aster

Conservation status

West Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
WV status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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New England Aster

At a glance

Natural habitats

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Recognizing it

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Sources

More Symphyotrichum