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The weather man reported that summer was over on the first of September, while most of us celebrate Labor Day as the end of summer. According to the calendar, summer is officially over at 8:05 p.m. on Sept 22.
Back when our children were in school and hunting season and night patrol were beginning for me, Mary Alice always said that summer ended after we celebrated the Fourth of July. She also declares summer is over when she sees the first aster in bloom. When checking diaries from previous years I usually find that I have seen my first aster flowers by the middle of September.
The earliest I have ever seen an aster flower was on the Sept. 5 in 2002.
Our common aster's scientific name is aster novac-angliac, belonging to the composite family. The common name of aster is Latin for star, referring to the flower's star-like shape. According to a Greek legend, the aster was created out of star dust when Virgo looked down from heaven and wept.
The English call the European aster both aster and starwort. The star refers to the shape of the flower and wort originally meant root, which was applied to any plants with healing properties. At one time, it was said, "the aster was good for the bitting of mad dogge; the green herbe beign beaten with old hog grease, an applyed (sic)."
In 1637, on his long voyage to England, John Tradescant transported asters from Virginia. They hybridized with the European starworts and were later named michaelmas daisies because when the British finally adopted Gregory XIII's revised calendar, the Feast of St. Michael coincided with their flowering.
Michaelmas is a Christian festival held on Sept. 29 in the Catholic and Anglican churches. The Greeks and Armenian churches celebrate St. Michael on Nov. 8. In England, Michaelmas is one of the four quarter days of the year when rents and bills must be paid. Because of this another common name for the aster is Christmas daisies. Michaelmas was the beginning of the academic year at Oxford and Cambridge, the quarterly court session and the day for debts to be settled.
In France, the aster, is known as the "eye of Christ" and in Germany, it is known as starworts and was often burned to keep away evil spirits. The Shakers used the plant to clear their complexions; the Greeks used it as an antidote for snake bites and to drive away snakes. Also, it was thought that by boiling aster leaves in wine and placing them close to a hive of bees, the honey would improve.
There are more than 75 species of asters in the United States and 200 species in North America. These species are hard to tell apart but they all bloom from August through October when the first hard frost stops the blooming.
Asters have smooth branching stems that grow from two to four feet tall. The leaves are heart-shaped, numerous and coarsely toothed. The upper leaves are smaller and tapered at the base. The flowers can be pink, pale blue, violet, or white, with a reddish or yellow disk. For identification purposes, the asters can be grouped into two groups: the purple-blue group and the white flower group.
Among the autumn-blooming wildflowers, the aster vies with the goldenrod for first place. In some places, asters dominate the roadsides and open woods.
The composite family is the largest family of wildflowers. Members of this family usually have brilliantly colored ray flowers arranged around a common center or disk of tiny tubular flowers. Since most depend on insects for pollination, they furnish an abundance of nectar for honeybees, bumblebees and other visitors.
The tiny seeds of the aster have tufts of hair, which are blown about by the wind, sometimes far away from the parent plant.
As I look at previous diaries I find that September is the month we start seeing many signs of fall. We watch as the leaves take on tinges of color; woolly bear caterpillars cross the roadways and early migrators, such as hawks and vultures, start moving through the area. Our local landfill is a stopover for turkey vultures, and one day, I counted 85 birds circling overhead, waiting for the landfill to close so they could have a feast.
September is the month we begin to experience cool days and nights. And by the end of September, we detect the first wood smoke of the year from wood stoves and fireplaces just to take the chill off. However, September will also have some hot days, and we will still hear the low hum of air conditioners. An unidentified writer wrote this about September.
“Thunder storms and school kids mutter.
“Sweet as butter.
“A soaking, and we're not joking!
“Be prepared to swelter, then run for shelter!
“Summer lingers, but we feel fall's frosty fingers.”
September is also the time when the sun makes it back to the equator. On Sept. 22, at 8:05 p.m., we will experience the 2026 autumn equinox, and when this occurs nature's time table officially marks the end of summer.
September is a good time to be outdoors, enjoying all that nature has to offer, including the asters that are close to the top of the list.
Bill Bower is a retired Pennsylvania Game Commission Wildlife Officer. Read his blog and listen to his podcasts on the outdoors at www.onemaningreen.com.