It is looking awfully similar to calico aster, NHBabs. I will post on Name That Plant to get their input. If it is an aster, it is absolutly exhuberant. I'll need to edit it around the yard. I wish I could remember it from years past, as I surely have to have it growing somewhere for it to appear EVEYWHERE!

It looks like a Calico aster, Symphyotrichum lateriflorum. Everything matches. Please post another photo when it blooms. That species is just about everywhere, around here too.

I will! The buds are there, but they are swelling very slowly. The later they flower, the more it looks like an aster. Your confirmation that is is EVERYWHERE is helpful. It's better than a weed everywhere, and there are meadow areas where I'm glad it's replacing the grass, etc., the I'm not used to natives being this...extroverted! Will post whenever flowers appear.

It's definitely an aster and almost certainly Calico aster. You can pull out unwanted plants, and deadhead them when you decide you have enough of them. A lot of asters are weedy. It's a choice of deadhead, or leave the seeds for wildlife, in which case, you'll need to pull up unwanted seedlings. This aster looks best in shady, woodland areas. Big, colorful asters like New England Aster look better in full sun imo. In the wild, I see Symphyotrichum lateriflorum in open woods and woodland edges.

Keep in mind asters provide valuable forage for honeybees in early fall when there can be little else, at least in my area. Plenty of goldenrods bloom here at that time, but honeybees don't seem to care much for their flowers, tho other insects do.

Thanks, bengz. I do value my asters! I'm just surprised at how quickly this one has spread to all areas. If it is a calico aster, which it's looking like more and more, I'll have PLENTY. Don't worry! In fact, I wish my other asters spread this easily! I've been trying to establish a meadow, but it ain't as easy as I'd like to overcome the dominance of old grasses and weeds (because I was hoping for plant-some-seedlings-and-neglect-it-all-season easy), but I'm very happy the calico aster is giving the unwanted things a good fight!

Did a post disappear? I thought there was an earlier post about mugwort.

Jay, thank you for the comment that some asters are weedy. That aspect was confusing for me. I tend to think of natives as fighting against invasives or aggressives. This aster is in my shade and in my sun. I have one "trash" bed that welcomes all plants that can handle it. Other than taking care of the horrible ivy, standard grass weeds, and occassional goutweed that pops up, I'm assuming from hidden roots and/or birds from a widowed neighbor who has a smorgasbord of goutweed throughout his whole yard, everything is welcome. Glad to see calico making strides there. I should be able to let it flower and then before seeds ripen either pull up unwanted ones or deadhead to control spread in some areas.

Aster in bloom! The confusing thing is that my local native resources like Wild Seed Project, Maine.gov and many others don't list calico aster. My other asters don't have the multi-branching quality of the calico, so while it was aster-like, I was confused. Gobotany says is is native, but it certainly isn't being promoted as such.

There are alot of different asters -- some have VERY tiny flowers like you're showing, others bigger. Different colors too.

Symphyotrichum lateriflorum! Calico Aster. Asters are very difficult to ID. I'm not sure I would have gotten this one.

https://www.illinoiswildflowers.info/savanna/plants/calico_aster.htm