Symphyotrichum chilense: Lavender Lover of Bees and Butterflies

Story by Maddie Ginn.

Symphyotrichum chilense, or California aster, makes its haven in a variety of our beloved California ecosystems. As a facultative plant, it is well adapted and common in both wetland and non-wetland habitat types, and can be found in coastal sage scrub, coastal salt marsh, grassland, meadow, coastal dune and bluff, and freshwater marsh habitats. This plant is especially valuable in the field of restoration, commonly grown in our nursery to fill in meadow gardens, stabilize slopes with its extensive, fibrous root systems, fill in native hedgerow projects, and to provide a beautiful flush of color to our native landscapes.

Previously known as Aster chilensis, this lavender petaled beauty has high value for late season pollinator species. Its showy, daisy-like flowers bloom in early June and stay through fall, providing the crucial pollen supply needed for beneficial insect species. Bumble bee queens that require energy reserves prior to their winter dormancy rely on the availability of species like S. chilense to bloom in late summer and fall. Checkerspot and crescent butterflies utilize this species as a host plant during their juvenile caterpillar form, and also as nectar sources once they have metamorphosed.