Because I grew up in Pennsylvania, some of my fondest memories of autumn are inextricably linked to a combination of flowering asters and the occasional onset of warm, clear days called Indian summer. Add a dash of fall color, and, as you may imagine, I was in naturalist heaven!
Here, the Sky Islands seem a world away from those early days. True, the Sky Islands do show their hues here and there, although not so ostentatiously as back east. Still, an inquisitive amble into a deep mountain canyon might well net you some scarlet canyon maple leaves. Go high enough and you’ll revel in the gold of falling aspen leaves. Other colorful treasures await your discovery both high and low in our region. All that you need is a bit of time and a modicum of physical fitness, and you’ll soon forget the blazing autumns of other regions.
Given our nearly perpetual Indian summer, we have more than our fair share of flowers in October. Foremost among these is our veritable legion of asters. Aster translates as “star-shaped,” which describes the form of most flowers you’ll encounter. You can’t travel far without running into any number of fascinating flowers in this family. Clearly, there is some evolutionary advantage for so many species to flower at this rather late date. Perhaps this nets them a corner on the pollinator market, at a time when few other plant families proffer their blossoms. Maybe they are simply more cold hardy than their cohorts and hence can survive any autumnal frosts that nature might throw their way.
One of my personal favorites grows mostly in high grassland or desert washes and on nearby cliffs. Ericameria laricifolia (goldenbush or turpentine bush) blazes a rich yellow, arresting the gaze of all but the most jaded hikers. The spray of flowers work their magic, and soon you’ve closed the gap and are savoring the sweet scent of this sublime shrub. Never mind that a few native bees or flies share the flowers with you—all the better to see plant sex in action.
Another yellow-flowered beauty is broom snakeweed (Gutierrezia sarothrae), which, like so many of our aster shrubs, masquerades most of the year as a small, broomy subshrub. Come fall, however, it bursts into bloom. Snakeweed’s aroma hints of anise or licorice, attracting many pollinators. I have used the dried flower heads as a crucial additive to my fires. They flame briefly, but brilliantly, lending snakeweed an apt alternate name—torchweed.
If you prefer a bit of purple, then look for the aptly named purple spiny aster, or tansyaster (Machaeranthera tanacetifolia), which may grow in habitats similar to those of the goldenbush. The leaves are a bit spiny and aromatically sticky, inviting a whiff even more than the attractive flowers. Look for them in disturbed areas, in particular. Also be alert for trixis, desert broom, seepwillow, various sunflowers, goldenrods, and a host of other Asteraceae that will brighten any autumn day.
The truth is, however, that most folks will pass by the majority of asters and simply label them as “LYJ’s” or little yellow jobs. This is the botanic equivalent of the non-birder’s “LBJ’s” or little brown jobs—so labeled because of their fairly mundane plumage and small size. Regardless of identification, revel in the aster family, as you may just catch a “fall-ing” star!
Vincent Pinto and his wife, Claudia, run Raven’s Way Wild Journeys. They offer local tours dedicated to the preservation of the incredible biodiversity in the Sky Islands.