A graceful woodland aster with clouds of lavender-blue flowers on arching stems in fall. One of the best asters for part shade, weaving beautifully through ferns and other woodland plants. Provides essential late-season nectar for bees and butterflies in shadier gardens. Also called Heart-Leaved Aster, it earns both names: the lower leaves are distinctly heart-shaped at the base, and the delicate pale blue to rich blue flowers light up shaded woodland borders and edges in September and October when almost nothing else is blooming. Branching stems are topped by large, airy, cone-shaped clusters of small daisy-like flowers — dozens to hundreds per plant — creating a misty blue haze that blends beautifully with almost any other color. A prolific bloomer that self-sows to create lush groundcover over time. As a keystone genus, it hosts 100+ Lepidoptera species and attracts a remarkable diversity of fall pollinators including 35+ specialist bee species, skipper butterflies, American Lady, Orange Sulfur, American Copper and Ailanthus Webworm Moth. Scattered throughout Maryland with stronger presence in western and central counties.