Many pollinators of Douglas Aster

Douglas Aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum)

Late-blooming plants such as asters provide a valuable food source for many pollinators.  Pacific Northwest native Douglas aster (Symphyotrichum subspicatum) has a long flowering period, from late August into October, grows about 1m tall, and spreads by underground rhizomes to form big clumps. Popular aster cultivars are often bred to produce many petals for better looks, but in turn produce little nectar and pollen, which makes them less attractive and beneficial to pollinators than wild species like Douglas aster. However, your local nursery will probably not sell Douglas aster.  I got mine from the Native Plant Society of British Columbia's stand at the VanDusen Botanical Garden annual plant sale. 

Douglas aster in my garden attracts a wide variety of pollinators, here are some of them:

The cutest butterfly, Woodland Skipper (Ochlodes sylvanoides)

 Long-horned Bee (Melissodes) -

Leafcutter Bee (Megachile) -

Green Sweat Bee (Agapostemon) -

Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum) -

 Black and really small, about 5mm long, this is either a Carpenter Bee (Ceratina) 
or a Sweat Bee (Lasioglossum)  They can be hard to tell apart.

Syrphid Fly (Eristalis)

Syrphid Fly (Eristalis)

Syrphid Fly (Syritta pipiens)

Yellow-faced Bumblebee (Bombus vosnesenskii)

Common Eastern Bumblebee (Bombus impatiens). Widely used in 

greenhouse pollination, it is one of the most abundant bumblebee 

species in Eastern North America, but it is not native to Western Canada. 

It has been a regular visitor in my garden for a couple years now, likely 

naturalized here from greenhouse colonies that have escaped into the wild.

Honeybee (Apis)