Heath Aster
Order: Asteridae
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Aster
Species: A. ericoides
General Characteristics: This native perennial plant is up to 2' tall, branching occasionally to create a bushy appearance. The hairy stems are green initially, but often become brown when the plant matures. The alternate leaves are up to 3" long and ¼" across toward the base of the plant, becoming less than 1" long and 1/8" across near the flowering stems. They are linear in form and have smooth edges, often with a fine pubescence. The lower leaves usually shrivel and fall off by the time the compound flowers bloom during the fall.
Special Adaptations: A wide variety of insects are attracted to the flowers, including long-tongued bees, short-tongued bees, wasps, flies, butterflies, skippers, moths, beetles, and plant bugs. Bee visitors include honeybees, bumblebees, Cuckoo bees, Little Carpenter bees, Leaf-Cutting bees, Halictid bees, Plasterer bees, and Andrenid bees. Wasp visitors include Thread-Waisted wasps, bee wolves, Spider wasps, Sand wasps, Paper wasps, Ichneumonid wasps, and Braconid wasps. Among the flies, are such visitors as bee flies, Syrphid flies, Thick-Headed flies, Tachinid flies, Muscid flies, and others. Various insects suck juices from the plant, including aphids, lace bugs, and plant bugs. The caterpillars of the butterfly Chlosyne nycteis (Silvery Checkerspot) feed on the foliage or flowers, as does the caterpillars of many moth species. Wild Turkeys nibble on the seeds and foliage to a limited extent. Mammalian herbivores, including the White-Tailed Deer, Cottontail Rabbit, and various kinds of livestock, also feed on the tender growth of young plants occasionally, but are less likely to bother mature plants later in the year.
No comments:
Post a Comment