# Walter's Aster (*Symphyotrichum walteri*)

Walter's Aster is a beautiful flower that blooms in late summer and early fall. It has pretty purple petals and attracts butterflies and bees, making gardens lively and colorful!

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Wetlands

![Walter's Aster](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Symphyotrichum_walteri_58284766.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Valerie Anderson, CC BY-SA 4.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Symphyotrichum_walteri_58284766.jpg)

## Appearance

The Walter's Aster has numerous small, daisy-like flowers with white or sometimes pale lavender ray petals surrounding a bright yellow center that ages to reddish-purple. Its dark green leaves are broadly heart-shaped and often clasp the stem, making it visually distinct from many narrower-leaved asters.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Asterales
- **Family:** Asteraceae
- **Genus:** Symphyotrichum

## Interesting facts

- It's like a late-season energy bar for hungry bees and butterflies!
- Its scientific name honors botanist Thomas Walter, who first described it!
- The plant’s leaves can be heart-shaped or even spear-shaped!
- This aster can thrive in many types of open woodland edges.

## Special abilities

- **Ever-Changing Blooms:** Walter's Aster has flower centers that change color from yellow to reddish-purple, helping older flowers signal they've been pollinated!
- **Clump Creator:** Walter's Aster can spread by underground stems called rhizomes, allowing it to form dense patches and secure its space.
- **Fall Feast Provider:** Walter's Aster blooms late in the season, providing a vital nectar and pollen source for insects when other flowers are scarce.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 30-90 cm
- **Spread:** 30-60 cm
- **Flower Size:** 0.5-1.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Late summer to fall (August-November)
- **Edible:** No
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** European honey bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar and pollen
- **Pollinates:** [Monarch butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — sips nectar for energy
- **Pollinates:** Common eastern bumblebee (*Bombus impatiens*) — gathers pollen and nectar
- **Eaten by:** [White-tailed deer](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-tailed-deer) (*Odocoileus virginianus*) — browses on leaves and stems

## Traits

- [Deciduous](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/deciduous): Deciduous plants periodically shed all their leaves, typically during autumn or dry seasons.
- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Summer Blooming](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/summer-blooming): Summer blooming plants produce their flowers during the summer season, often providing vibrant color when many other plants have finished.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.
- [Wetland](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/wetland): This habitat trait identifies species found in wetlands, which are areas of land saturated with water, either permanently or seasonally, including marshes, swamps, and bogs.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always look but don't pick flowers unless you have permission.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Walter's Aster?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Walter's Aster?

30-90 cm

### How wide does Walter's Aster spread?

30-60 cm

### How big are the flowers on Walter's Aster?

0.5-1.5 cm

### When does Walter's Aster bloom?

Late summer to fall (August-November)

### Is Walter's Aster edible?

No

### Is Walter's Aster toxic?

None

### What is Walter's Aster's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Walter's Aster: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/walters-aster)