Short’s Aster

Short’s Aster

Waabishki-bag
Symphyotrichum shortii

A beautiful late-season native aster that brings soft lavender-blue flowers to woodlands and open edges in early autumn. Short’s Aster forms bushy clumps with sturdy stems covered in masses of star-shaped blooms with golden centers. When in full flower the plant appears like a cloud of purple-blue, lighting up shaded woodland edges just as the growing season begins to wind down.

Waabishki-bag – The Autumn Star Flower

Waabishki-bag blooms as summer transitions into fall, a time when many pollinators are gathering their final energy before winter. In Anishinaabe understanding, late-season flowers carry special importance because they sustain life during the closing cycles of the growing season.

A Woodland Edge Aster

Short’s Aster grows naturally along woodland edges, forest clearings, and open slopes where it receives partial sun and rich soil. It thrives in areas where prairie and woodland communities meet, helping create diverse transitional habitats.

Planting Waabishki-bag strengthens late-season pollinator support and adds vibrant autumn color to woodland gardens and restoration sites.

Growing Information

Height: 2–3 ft

Spread: 2–3 ft

Light: Full sun to part shade

Soil: Average to moist, well-drained soils

Hardiness: Zone 3–8

Growth Rate: Moderate

Best planted along woodland edges, native meadows, and pollinator gardens where it can provide an important autumn nectar source.

Ecological Importance

Waabishki-bag:

Provides critical late-season nectar for bees and butterflies

Supports migrating and overwintering pollinators

Adds autumn structure and color to native plant communities

Strengthens biodiversity along woodland and meadow edges

Larval host for
• Pearl Crescent Butterfly (Phyciodes tharos)
• Silvery Checkerspot (Chlosyne nycteis)
• Wavy-lined Emerald Moth (Synchlora aerata)
• Harris’s Three-spot Moth (Harrisimemna trisignata)

Planting to Protect
Restoring to Thrive ?
Origin Native Plants ?

3.5 inch Pots