Count My Asters

Not yet.

It truly is an aster wonderland out there right now. When I edit, I let the asters be. This is my reward.

Let us begin. One.

Two.

Two B or a hybrid.

Two C.

You can see why I have issues with counting my asters. There is a lot of variety in Two.

Three.

One form of Four.

Five.

Six. Similar to one but with erect petals instead of drooping petals and a slightly different growth form.

Seven.

Eight.

We could count Goldenrods too, but we won't.

Just stick with my asters.

Is it any wonder I can get confused by my asters?

Blue Asters

More commonly known as Symphyotrichum.

There are a few blue asters up here and there and every where.

This is the final big show of the season, a mountain awash in blue asters.

Best of all they prefer the dappled shade of the forest. We have that.

They mix quite a bit with the still blooming Goldenrods.

The main colors of the mountaintop are currently blue, yellow and white with the first hints of Goth coming in.

The days are shorter,. The leaves are falling. Some cool is headed this way. The mountain has turned ice blue. And so it ends, in a bang not a whimper.

While there is still some nice looking Joe Pye.

In Light Of Things

It didn't happen over night. It just feels that way when it becomes undeniable. The light high on the low spot of a North Carolina mountain top has down shifted.

Morning in the Tall Flower Meadow before the first beams hit lingers with my coffee. It is good light for fading colors.

Evening light is bold and golden, some what of a challenge for picture taking in the strong contrast between forest shade and low sun on high beam. There have been no clouds of late. A dry spell, not unusual for this time of year, has come to roost.

I wander about looking to see where the light will work. Sometimes it doesn't and I have to wait until the beams have moved with a mountain's shadow.

I wander through a garden ebbing into fall in a new light.

And it is packed with life attending to all in bloom.

Blue asters and white Snakeroot cover the mountain still nice in their post hurricane lean. It is a jumbled look full of color before the leaves even begin the big turn.

Perched atop the scenic byway the entire mountain directly above can be watched. Fall is coming. The monotone of green is already disturbed.

The last rays are captured in panicles of grass.

And a raw mobile looks like it was painted gold.

The chimney has moved into the shade of the forest as a wander back home, better for picture taking.

And a wild cultivated meadow does the big end of season show.

Walking In Asters

I took the whole weekend off finally and spent six or seven hours in the last two days picking up sticks in the ridge top garden next door. Irma left a big mess. That was in addition to the two or so hours of picking up sticks just from slow walks through the garden coming and going.

It's almost cleaned up now.

I started late, moved slow and had naps when I was done. I also just ambled through the gardens doing nothing but looking at the beginning and end of the day.

The asters are here.

There are many species and many variations within what appear to be a species. I suspect there is a good deal of interbreeding going on.

The Blue Wood Aster

The Frost Aster

I have goldenrod too and about five species of that.

Asters line the paths every where you go.

The asters block the paths in plenty of places too. I'm getting ruthless these days in the face of abundance.

The Aromatic Aster

More Blue Wood Aster. This is the most abundant species.

One of the Goldenrods I like. Solidago canadensis is the problem Goldenrod.

This looks like a white Blue Wood Aster. I have also seen a white New England Aster, the problem aster of the meadow.

Asters, grass and Goldenrod.

The Tatarian Aster.

The Calico Aster.

The New England Aster. It is more purple than it looks in this picture. How many asters was that? I even left out a few.