The New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae aster family, Asteraceae) is very widespread; in North America it is found from the Atlantic to the Pacific, missing only very dry states like Nevada. Distribution maps show it as native across all that range, but it is an attractive plant that was brought into gardens long ago and may have escaped and naturalized.
 |
| New England aster |
I took a tour in Wales, mainly along the coast. Wales, the southwest corner of Britain, is about 170 miles long and 60 miles wide, but hills, mountains, and rivers make it a lot more complex. My tour, with Road Scholar, began just north of Wales in Manchester, and circled south along the coast, finally turning east to Cardiff and then London.
We saw lots of green pastures, with cows or sheep
 |
| zucchini and yellow summer squash |
Sorting out the squashes is a job for experts, which I am not. They are wonderfully confused.
“True squashes” are plants in the genus Cucurbita (Cucurbitaceae, cucumber family). About 15 species make up Cucurbita, all of them native to the Americas.
Melons, such as cantalope genus Cucumis, watermelon, genus Citrullus (blog about watermelon) and others--all the melons--are from Asia, Africa or Europe.
 |
| red chrysanthemums |
As summer fades into fall, a different set of plants dominate the landscape. In my garden, the chrysanthemums that were an unassuming cluster of leaves all summer are now covered in blossoms. My fruit trees are dropping apples and peaches. Burning bush (Euonymous) and maples start to turn color.
 |
| common wood sorrel, Oxalis stricta |
Gardens and yards are changing. People are reducing their use of herbicides and pesticides. Planting more water-wise plants. Adding natives. Appreciating mixes of plants not just monocultures, whether in the lawn or the flowerbeds. All of this is revising our ideas of what an attractive yard is.
 |
| front yard, natives (and others), no lawn grass |