Symphyotrichum laeve (Smooth aster)

Symphyotrichum laeve, commonly known as smooth blue aster or smooth aster, is a late blooming fall aster. It is particularly well adapted to dry, well-drained soils and can tolerate relatively poor conditions once established.

The plant grows upright, with branching stems and distinctive smooth, blue-green leaves. In late summer and fall, the plant produces numerous daisy-like flower heads with pale blue to violet-blue rays surrounding a yellow center. 

The flowers create an attractive haze of blue and purple at a time when many earlier-blooming wildflowers have finished flowering, and contrast with the yellows of goldenrods (Solidago) and the whites and pinks of other fall-blooming asters.

Smooth blue aster is an excellent late-season resource for pollinators. Its flowers attract native bees, butterflies, moths, skippers, and other insects. The flowers are also visited by specialized native bees that depend on asters.