The Aster Party Crashers

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It's mid to late September and most wildflowers have

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called it quits for the season. Your garden center has switched to pumpkins

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and mums. Everyone thinks pollinator

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season is over. But walk past any patch of wild

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asters and you'll discover the secret. The party

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is just getting started. Welcome to the Last Chance Saloon,

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where dozens of native pollinators are throwing the wildest

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celebration of the year. And the flowers everyone ignores

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become the most important restaurants in town.

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Welcome back to Secret Pollinators podcast that reveals

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the hidden heroes keeping our world in bloom. I'm Kelly from

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Montana and today we're crashing the wildest pollinator party of the

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year. When most flowers have finished for the season, one flower

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family throws the biggest pollinator bash of all. Where uninvited

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guests become the best guests. And timing is absolutely everything.

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Picture dozens of different native pollinators swarming

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purple and white flowers like it's the last call at their favorite bar.

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This is the aster party and you're about to discover

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why Crashing this bash might be the most important thing

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pollinators do all year.

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The Last Chance Saloon. So let's set the scene.

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It's fall. Most flowers are finished and native pollinators are

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getting desperate. Solitary bees need to stock their underground nurseries

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for next year's babies. Migrating butterflies need to

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fuel for thousand mile journeys. Everyone's running low on options.

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Then asters explode into bloom

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like nature's grand finale fireworks show.

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But here's what make asters special.

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They're not just one flower. There are hundreds. That innocent

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looking aster bloom. It's actually a compound flower head packed

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with tiny individual flowers, each loaded with nectar and pollen.

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It's like nature built a pollinator. All you can

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eat buffet. And the timing is perfect. While spring

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flowers compete with dozens of other blooms, asters have

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the fall market cornered. They're the only game in town when

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native pollinators need them most. Native sweat

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bees show up early, working the flowers before anyone else is awake.

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These metallic green beauties have been co evolving with asters

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for thousands of years. Short tongue, perfect for

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shallow nectar wells. Small body, perfect for landing on

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outer petals and working inward. The aster strategy.

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Late bloom, big bloom. And watch everyone

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come running the

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festival circuit. Here's where it gets really fascinating.

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Astors don't just throw one party. They run an

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entire festival circuit. New England asters throw the

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biggest bashes in early fall. The tall purple flowers

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that can be seen from across a field. You know what they look

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like. They're the main Stage everyone wants to

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visit first. Then white wood asters host

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the intimate acoustic sets. For pollinators who prefer cooler,

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shadier gatherings, aromatic asters throw

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compact parties that are perfect for smaller native bees.

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But here's the brilliant part. Different aster

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species peak at different times, so the festival

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keeps moving. Early September might be New England aster

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season, but by October, aromatic asters are taking over hosting

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duties. It's like a festival circuit for native pollinators,

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with different venues opening as others wind down.

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The party never really ends. It just changes location and

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lineup. And our native specialists know

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the schedule by heart.

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Andrena asteris, the fall flying mining bee,

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emerges from underground burrows timed perfectly with

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peak aster bloom. These bees were literally named after

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their favorite flower. If asters aren't blooming, they're out of

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luck. The freeloaders

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and the gatekeepers. Of course, every good festival

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has its freeloaders and gatekeepers. Some beetles and hoverflies

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show up, just eat pollen without doing much pollinating. They're basically

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crashing for free food. But here's the genius

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of asters. Even the freeloaders accidentally become

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workers. The flowers are designed so it's impossible to party on

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an aster without getting covered in pollen and transferring

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some to the next bloom. Then there

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are the festival security. Ambush bugs and crab

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spiders hanging out on asters, waiting to grab unwary visitors.

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These predators might seem like party poopers,

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but they actually help by controlling pest, insects and keeping

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the native pollinator population healthy.

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And the real party crashers.

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Migrating monarch butterflies use asters like gas

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stations. They'll hit patch after patch after patch,

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fueling up for their journey to Mexico.

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Without asters, many monarchs wouldn't make it.

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It's a complex social scene playing out on every aster bloom.

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Cooperation, competition, and just enough

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danger to keep things interesting.

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The after party impact. Here's why

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the aster party matters so much. It's often the

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last big feeding opportunity before winter.

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Miss the festival and many native pollinators don't survive.

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For migrating butterflies, asters provide fuel for

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journey spanning continents. For native bees like leafcutter bees,

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aster pollen becomes the protein source for next year's babies.

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A single leaf cutter bee will visit 2,000 aster

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flowers to stock one underground brood cell.

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That's commitment. And here's where you

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come in. Every time you plant native asters in your yard,

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you're basically opening up a venue for this incredible festival

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circuit. New England asters. Aromatic asters.

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Smooth blue asters. These aren't just fall decorations.

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They're Wildlife cafeterias with a guest list millions

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of years in the making. The most amazing

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part? These critical late season resources are

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often growing in ditches, vacant lots and weedy areas that

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people always want to clean up. We're literally mowing down

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pollinator festivals without even realizing it.

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The Pollinator Spotlight this week's Pollinator

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spotlight goes to Andrena Asteris,

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the fall flying mining bee that built its entire life around the Aster

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festival. These bees are so specialized, they were

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literally named after their favorite flower. They emerge from underground

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burrows in September and their life cycle is timed so

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perfectly with the aster bloom, it's like they're following the same festival calendar.

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The females collect aster pollen in specialized hairs called

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scopa, mixing it with nectar to create protein

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rich bee bread for their larva. One female

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can provision 5 to 10 underground brood cells before the first

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frost hits. That's just incredible. Here's the amazing

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part. These bees can distinguish between different aster species

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by scent alone. They're like festival goers who actually

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know which stage has the best acts just by

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All right, here's this week's mission. If you choose to accept it,

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Find an aster patch. It could be in your yard,

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a park, or even a roadside ditch. Native asters

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are blooming right now across most of North America. Spend five

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minutes watching the festival, you'll be mesmerized.

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Count the different types of native visitors. Look for small,

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often metallic colored sweat bees. Watch for leaf cutter

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bees with their distinctive pollen carrying technique.

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Spot the hoverflies doing their best. Be impressions

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and share your Aster Festival discoveries with

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me at Secret Pollinators or on my Facebook page.

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Secret Pollinators and bonus points if you

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can identify which aster species is hosting the party. The Inaturalist

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app is just perfect for this.

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The Aster Festival is happening right now, but it won't

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last forever. In just a few weeks, the first hard frost will

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shut down this pollinator celebration until next fall. So please

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try to leave aster flowers to help the native pollinators

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and even plant them in your yard if you can, because every little

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bit makes a big difference. And next time on the

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Secret Pollinators podcast, we're entering the exclusive world of Sunflower

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society secrets, where we'll discover the hidden hierarchies,

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VIP access, and surprising social rules

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of North America's most iconic flower.

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Trust me, you'll never see a sunflower field the same

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way again. Remember to subscribe wherever

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you get your podcasts and leave a review if you're enjoying

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the secret pollinator stories. Until next time.

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Keep your eyes open. The best festivals happen when

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you least expect them.