Salt Marsh Aster

Did you know

• It is one of the few aster species adapted to tolerate salt spray and brackish water, thriving where others cannot.
• Its narrow, fleshy leaves are an adaptation to conserve water in the salty, drying conditions of coastal marshes.
• It provides critical late-season nectar for migrating monarch butterflies passing along the Atlantic coast.
• Salt marsh asters help stabilize coastal soil and provide shelter for small marsh creatures like fiddler crabs.
• The plant often goes unnoticed until fall, when masses of its small flowers transform marshes into lavender-tinted landscapes.

Color meanings

Uses

• coastal restoration
• salt-tolerant landscaping
• pollinator gardens
• wetland plantings