White Wood Aster

Wildlife Value

Leaf-mining larvae, including those of Sumitrosis inaequalis (a beetle) and Ophiomyia texana (a fly) eat white wood aster foliage. Two species of dichomeris moth (Dichomeris ochripalpella and Dichomeris bilobella) also use it as a larval host plant. The larvae of a midge, Asteromyia laeviana, form papery blister galls on leaves. Wildlife use asters to a limited degree. Ruffed grouse, wild turkey, and tree sparrows eat the leaves and/or seeds, as do mammals like chipmunks, white-footed mice and white-tailed deer.