prairie wildflower

New England aster

Symphyotrichum novae-angliae

Also known as New England American-aster

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Quebec and Maine to South Carolina, west to eastern Great Plains; also mountains of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico; naturalized elsewhere

Light Partial shade Sun tolerance
Moisture Moist Moisture preference
Zones 3–8 Cold to heat range
Bloom Aug–Oct Flowering time
Height up to 6 ft to 1.8 m
Life cycle Perennial Annual to perennial

Full details, see below

In the garden

A prairie wildflower for partial shade and evenly moist soil. At up to 6 ft, it needs room in meadows and sunny borders. Hardy in USDA zones 3–8.

Growing conditions

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Hardiness zones

Find your zone:

Pollinators & wildlife

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Eastern Carpenter Bee, Brown-belted Bumble Bee +198 more
Two-spotted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee, Ligated Furrow Bee, Tricolored Bumble Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Bombus fervidus, Red-belted Bumble Bee, Hunt's Bumble Bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, European Woolcarder Bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Agapostemon texanus, Lemon Cuckoo Bumble Bee, Northern Amber Bumble Bee, Brown-winged Striped Sweat Bee, Yellow-banded Bumble Bee, Carpenter-mimic Leafcutter Bee, Flat-tailed Leafcutter Bee, Sculptured Resin Bee, Poey's Furrow Bee, Oblong Woolcarder Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Rusty-patched Bumble Bee, Modest Masked Bee, Confusing Furrow Bee, Spurred Ceratina, Indiscriminate Cuckoo Bumble Bee, broad-handed leafcutter bee, Southern Plains Bumble Bee, Orange-tipped Wood-digger, Hairy-banded Mining Bee, Silky Striped Sweat Bee, Unarmed Leafcutter Bee, Lucorum-group Bumble Bees, Cryptic Bumble Bee, Cloudy-winged Mining Bee, Slender-faced Masked Bee, Parallel-striped Sweat Bee, Sunflower Mining Bee, Golden-tailed Leafcutter Bee, Aster Mining Bee, Patchwork Leafcutter Bee, Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo, Punctate Masked Bee, Goldenrod Longhorn-Cuckoo Bee, Agile Longhorn Bee, Annulate Masked Bee, Megachile brevis, Ceratina dupla, Ceratina mikmaqi, Autumnal Cellophane-Cuckoo, Hairy masked Bee, Dwarf Cellophane-cuckoo Bee, Lasioglossum cinctipes, Lasioglossum nitidiusculum, Golden-tailed Woodborer, Little Masked Bee, Big-cheeked Angled-Mason, Common Masked Bee, Melissodes boltoniae, Buff-tailed Bumble Bee, Large-headed Armoured-Resin bee, Nomada bifasciata, Robust Small-Mason, Melissodes niveus, Black Masked Bee, Large Masked Bee, Spined Mason Bee, Sickle-jawed Blood Bee, Golden Furrow Bee, Linsenmaier's Nomad, Lasioglossum sabulosum, Lasioglossum pleurospeculum, Lasioglossum podolicum, Lasioglossum laevidorsum, Lasioglossum subfulvicorne, Hylaeus glacialis, Hylaeus pfankuchi, Snowy Masked Bee, Lasioglossum tarsatum, Hylaeus moricei, Nomada pleurosticta, Andrena amieti, Lasioglossum euboeense, Lasioglossum lissonotum, Lasioglossum alpigenum, Halictus carinthiacus, Hylaeus pilosulus, Heriades crenulatus, Translucent Miner, Lasioglossum laeve, Common Carder Bumble Bee, Early Bumble Bee, Hylaeus bifasciatus, Femoral Nomad, Grey-banded Mining Bee, Buff-tailed Mining Bee, Lasioglossum aeratum, Lasioglossum subfasciatum, Colletes mlokossewiczi, Hylaeus duckei, Hylaeus euryscapus, Small-headed Resin Bee, Hylaeus crassanus, Hylaeus alpinus, Eucera nigrifacies, Megachile genalis, Nomada facilis, Hylaeus gibbus, Osmia labialis, Megachile flabellipes, White-lipped Yellow-face Bee, Panurgus dentipes, Lasioglossum bluethgeni, Hylaeus sinuatus, Small Shiny Furrow Bee, Lasioglossum marginellum, Halictus leucaheneus, Chalk Yellow-face Bee, Lasioglossum majus, Hylaeus tyrolensis, Dotted Masked Bee, Osmia scutellaris, Narrowed Masked Bee, Forest Masked Bee, Shiny Dufourea, Polished Miner, Orange-vented Mason Bee, Broad-banded Nomad Bee, Nomada integra, Osmia mustelina, Hylaeus difformis, Nomada distinguenda, Gredler's Masked Bee, Megachile melanopyga, Reed Yellow-face Bee, Ridge-gastered Furrow Bee, Small Shaggy Bee, Pseudapis diversipes, Fringed Furrow Bee, Hairy-saddled Cellophane Bee, Lasioglossum minutulum, Lasioglossum subhirtum, Onion Yellow-face Bee, Hylaeus kahri, Lasioglossum lineare, Lasioglossum interruptum, Common Pantaloon Bee, Andrena taraxaci, Andrena nigroolivacea, Lasioglossum albocinctum, Lasioglossum nigripes, Horned Masked Bee, Davies' Cellophane Bee, Hylaeus taeniolatus, Squat Furrow Bee, Large Shaggy Bee, Snowy Mason, White-jawed Yellow-face Bee, Short-horned Yellow-face Bee, Hylaeus styriacus, Hesperian Miner, Lasioglossum discum, Osmia rufohirta, Hylaeus paulus, Andrena livens, Halictus seladonius, Great Banded Furrow Bee, Bare-saddled Cellophane Bee, Lasioglossum lucidulum, Variegated Masked Bee, Hylaeus imparilis, Andrena rhenana, Lasioglossum marginatum, Coelioxys coturnix, Pseudoanthidium nanum, Colletes compactus, Nimble Ceratina, Colletes speculiferus, Lunate Longhorn-cuckoo Bee, Colletes compactus compactus, Two-banded Cellophane-cuckoo Bee, White-banded Sweat Bee, Forest Cuckoo Bumble bee, Lasioglossum coriaceum, Bombus vagans vagans, Drury's Long-horned Bee, Federal Cuckoo Carder Bee, Ceratina sp., Halictus sp., Lasioglossum coreopsis, Colletes americanus, Simple Miner Bee, Pseudopanurgus compositarum, Melissodes dentiventris
Butterflies Monarch

also Eastern Tiger Swallowtail, Gulf Fritillary, Red Admiral +77 more
Black Swallowtail, Pearl Crescent, Common Buckeye, Fiery Skipper, Silver-spotted Skipper, Painted Lady, Pipevine Swallowtail, Gray Hairstreak, American Lady, Orange Sulphur, Eastern Tailed-Blue, Great Spangled Fritillary, Variegated Fritillary, Spicebush Swallowtail, Common Checkered-Skipper and Allies, Viceroy, Zabulon Skipper, Clouded Sulphur, Eastern Black Swallowtail, Peck's Skipper, American Snout, Checkered White, Common Ringlet, Clouded Skipper, Dun Skipper, Dainty Sulphur, Woodland Skipper, Least Skipper, Long-tailed Skipper, Western Pygmy-Blue, Wild Indigo Duskywing, American Copper, Tawny-edged Skipper, Milbert's Tortoiseshell, Southern Dogface, Polyommatus icarus, Texan Crescent, Nymphalis l-album j-album, Lyside Sulphur, Fatal Metalmark, Bronze Copper, Large White, Marbled White, Common Branded Skipper, Gatekeeper, Small Heath, Colias hyale, Colias croceus, Holly Blue, Mallow Skipper, Wall Brown, Common Brimstone, Speckled Wood, Eastern Bath White, Common Zebra Blue, Thymelicus sylvestris, Colias philodice philodice, Limenitis archippus archippus, Junonia coenia coenia, Panoquina panoquin, Panoquina ocola, European Peacock Butterfly, Papilio cresphontes, Abaeis nicippe, Cyaniris neglecta, Danaus plexippus plexippus, Wallengrenia egeremet, Leonard's Skipper, Atalopedes campestris, Clossiana toddi ammiralis, Protographium marcellus, Silvery Checkerspot, Hylephila phylaeus, Speyeria nokomis, Cynthia cardui, Polites coras, Anosia plexippus
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Eastern Calligrapher, Common Drone Fly, Transverse-banded Flower Fly +41 more
Long-tailed Aphideater, Narrow-headed Marsh Fly, Thick-legged Hover Fly, Eurasian Drone Fly, Black-shouldered Drone Fly, The Merodon equestris Group, Yellow-shouldered Drone Fly, Northern Plushback, Dusky-winged Hover Fly, Tufted Globetail, Oblique-banded Pond Fly, Common Lagoon Fly, Orange-legged Drone Fly, Yellow-legged Flower Fly, Eastern Band-winged Hover Fly, Yellow-haired Sun Fly, American Snout Fly, Band-winged Bee Fly, Hunchbacked Bee Fly, Black-horned Smoothtail, Four-lined Hornet Fly, Hairy-eyed Flower Fly, Poecilanthrax tegminipennis, Eastern Forest Sedgesitter, Yellow-legged Bog Fly, Common Globetail, Marmalade Hover Fly, Scar-horned Blacklet, Trivittate Marsh Fly, Didea fasciata, Heineken Fly, Sericomyia militaris, Aster Bee Fly, Tropidia quadrata, Eupeodes lapponicus, Eristalis (Eoseristalis), Epistrophella emarginata, Sun Fly, grasshopper bee fly, Shiny Thickleg, Pseudodoros clavatus
Also visited by
- Moths:
  
  Snowberry Clearwing, Yellow-collared Scape Moth +15 more
  Wavy-lined and Southern Emeralds, Corn Earworm Moth, Soybean Looper Moth, Dingy Cutworm Moth, Alfalfa Looper, Celery Looper Moth, Arcigera Flower Moth, Somber Carpet Moth, Raspberry Pyrausta Moth, Silver Υ, Cotton Bollworm Moth, Common Looper Moth, Asteroid Moth, Hawaiian Beet Webworm Moth, Yellow-striped Armyworm Moth
- Beetles:
  
  Asian Lady Beetle, Spotted Cucumber Beetle +5 more
  Goldenrod Soldier Beetle, Striped Cucumber Beetle, Acmaeodera tubulus, Eastern Spotted Cucumber Beetle, northern corn rootworm
- Wasps:
  
  Eastern Yellowjacket, Perennial Mason Wasp +3 more
  European tube wasp, Vertical potter wasp, American Yellowjacket
- Hummingbirds: Ruby-throated Hummingbird
- Birds: Yellow-rumped Warbler, Cedar Waxwing

Butterflies that use this plant

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Full plant details

Where it grows

Habitat: PrairieThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (38): AL, AR, CO, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KS, KY, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, MO, MS, NC, ND, NE, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OH, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VA, VT, WI, WV, WY. Canada (4): MB, NB, ON, QC. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Quebec and Maine to South Carolina, west to eastern Great Plains; also mountains of Wyoming, Colorado and New Mexico; naturalized elsewhereThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Growing conditions

Light: Partial shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: MoistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 3–8 · Canadian 3–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Moist soilsThe soils it grows in naturally.

Growth & form

Height: up to 6 ft (to 1.8 m)Typical mature height.
Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).

Flowers, foliage & fruit

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Aug–OctWhen it flowers.
Flower color: Pink, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: AcheneThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: None knownWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.