Stokes Aster
Stokes aster visited by a Palamedes swallowtail.
By LYNN ARTZ, SANDY TEDDER and DAVID RODDENBERRY
Stokes aster (Stokesia laevis) is a spectacular, low-maintenance, native perennial. It bears large flowers with fringed petals, usually lavender blue, in late spring. The showy flowers attract a variety of butterflies and bees. Flower stalks emerge from a rosette of attractive, green leaves. Stokes aster grows 1-2 feet tall and wide in full to part sun in moist soil. It is deer and rabbit resistant. This low-growing, evergreen wildflower makes an excellent border plant. Stokes aster is native to the southeastern U.S. including north Florida. Uncommon in the wild, stokes aster is increasingly popular among growers with named cultivars in nurseries. In general, native pollinators need and prefer true native wildflowers rather than cultivars. Stokes aster is blooming now in the northern gardens of Sopchoppy Depot Park.