Stokes' Aster

Last week saw the addition of five big pots of Stokes' Aster to the Flight Enclosure. They provide a pretty pop of pale purple that butterflies just love.

Stokes' Aster (Stokesia laevis) is named after Jonathon Stokes, an English physician and botanist who was a contemporary of Linnaeus' son Carolus. He was best known for his early adoption of digitalis to treat heart problems, but the aster named for him has no known medical properties.

Stokes' Aster is native from South Carolina to Northern Florida, although it has proved to be hardy as far north as New York with protective mulching in the winter. Here in Central Florida, Stokes' Aster tends to falter a bit in the heat of summer unless provided with very well-drained soil and protection from the sun in the hottest part of the day. Once you've found the right location, Stokes' Aster thrives as a perennial, and can be divided every few years as the plant grows. It may also re-seed itself under the right conditions.

Here at BioWorks, we'll keep the Stokes' Asters in the Flight Enclosure as long as they bloom well and provide sweet nectar for the butterflies. Then, we'll try to find a good location for them outside in the gardens where we can enjoy them in the years to come.