The new find from this past weekend was a native wildflower of the area that blooms from August through October. I managed to time the find perfectly in early September. The name of the wildflower is Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, or the New England Aster.
Aster is Greek for the word "star." Like any beautiful wildflower found in nature, the New England Aster has a radiate head of pedals. Purple, sure, but beautiful nonetheless.
Being native to the area, this flower can be found on banks of streams, in prairies, woodlands, and even near railroad lines. This particular group of flowers I found was located on a sand trail that led to a backwater area of the Mississippi River. The trail is actually used to launch kayaks and canoes...someday, I'll be able to do the same thing and head out on the backwaters myself.
Like so many other wildflowers (and evasive weeds in the area), the pollinators love this plant. I found a few bees on my photo hunt feasting away:
Although I didn't see any monarchs, I did read that many monarch butterflies like to load up on pollen from this plant during this time of the year. The pollen helps them traverse from places like Wisconsin to Mexico. It's amazing to think of a butterfly migrating that distance, all in part to this miraculous purple flower.
I've noticed these before, but yet again, had no idea they were native to this area. I have to admit, I get a (little) bit excited when these types of finds don't show up in Backyard Weeds of the Upper Midwest... which typically means I found an honest to goodness prairie wildflower. Fortunately, I get to share that find with others who love this type of find too!
Thanks for reading, as always. More finds to come as we head into October.