Moved to the Boston area, from the Berkshires, in 2005. Back in the late nineties, I began noticing a richly royal purple native species growing along road-sides, bordering farmland, etc. The flowers are a little less puffy-looking, than the species mentioned here so far. The following URL will take you to a picture of it, but the photo shows a lavender-colored flower, rather than the vivid purple that practically kidnaps one's attention when spied: http://www.wildflowerinformation.org/Wildflower.asp?ID=37 Good luck. Here is a link that might be useful: wildflowerinformation.org

I like the wild asters in a wild place. I have plants that I like for the wilder parts of my yard. Four o clocks are one. They take care of themselves and can compete with weeds. I have moved the jerusalem artichokes out of the yard but I still get to see the yellow flowers where I have it on the edges of the tame area.

Image by: wintersown Perennial New England Asters have small one inch ray flowers in the white, pink and lavender to purple range. The seeds are dispersed by the "fluff and fly" method, as they mature they grow their own parasols to be carried off with the wind to a new location far from the parent plant. The left seed tuft in the photo clearly shows where the seeds are located. On a windy day this tuft would finish dispersing in a few short hours. Seed collection is easy....simply grasp the the fluff with your fingers and remove it from the plant. The seeds are located at the very base of the fluff held in a tight cluster. They are quite small, light to medium brown, the width of a fine needle and about a 1/8" long. Because there is so much chaff with these aster seeds they are often traded as seeds and chaff mixed together. Sowing instructions should mention patting both seeds and chaff together onto the soil surface.

Plants infected with asters yellows must be removed, if it just has mites just pinch off the flower and then clean up leaf debre around plant in the fall. The mites live and feed in the flower buds during the summer and will winter over in the debree. As far as Asters Yellows goes it CAN' T survive outside a living plant so no need to remove soil, just be sure to remove all the roots.