asters

Asters are a sure sign of fall. They come in all colors and sizes, and grow in all sorts of places. I have them along my stream and in the poor, salty soil by the mailbox. I find them in the woods and along the trails as I walk. One of my books says that there are around 150 species in North America, and the World of Flowers website says there are more than 175 species in North America. Either way, there are a lot of different kinds of asters around. An interesting fact about asters is that it has two kinds of flowers - the yellow part in the middle is lots of flowers, and the part that looks like petals, around the edge, is another sort, called ray flowers. The name comes from the Greek and Latin word for "star". Here are some photos of asters near my house.