This can be a very tall plant (4-6')and spreads like crazy from seed. The late blooms of asters are important for sustaining migrating butterflies and insects preparing to over winter and the seeds are eaten by birds during winter-especially if you leave your garden standing and wait til mid to late spring to cut down perennials.

Downy gentian (Gentiana puberlenta)- another exquisite native wildflower that has been all but lost from the landscape. This one is a very small plant, usually only 6-12 inches tall. Downy gentian needs dry sandy soil where other tall plants can't grow easily and overpower it. It does like to grow tucked among shorter prairie grasses like prairie dropseed. This is another very challenging to grow species and should just be enjoyed in its wild habitat. The fact that we cant easily replicate the conditions plants like this need and therefore can't successfully cultivate them is just one reason it's important to protect their remaining habitat from development.