Welcome to Aton Forest

Aton Forest, Inc. is a 501 (c)(3) organized and operated for scientific research and preservation of land and natural resources. Our aim is to protect lands in Norfolk and Colebrook, Connecticut, preserve the physical and intellectual legacy of our founder, Dr. Frank E Egler, and continue the low impact, long-term ecological research that he pioneered. The organization maintains an archive of his written materials and library.
Asters Demystified

Thursday, October 3, 2019


Led by Bill Moorhead, consulting botanist
9 am – 4 pm

We will cover the identification and ecology of most of the 32 southern New England species of asters (genera Aster, Doellingeria, Euribia, Ionactis, Oclemena, and Symphyotrichum) and some of the hybrids.  The workshop will begin with a lab session at Aton Forest, in which we will cover the basics of aster identification and the species we will not see in the field.  We will then car-pool to several field sites in the vicinity of Aton Forest, where we will cover field identification of the species that occur in northwest Connecticut.  The discussions of species ecology will include wetland indicator value of each species.  This workshop will run, rain or shine.  If the weather is too bad for field work, we will extend the lab session, using fresh and pressed collected material.  Participants are encouraged to bring specimens.  This workshop is suitable for both aster beginners and more experienced botanists to whom asters are a challenge. This workshop is co-sponsored with the Connecticut Botanical Society.

Location: beginning at Aton Forest Headquarters, 270 N. Colebrook Rd. Norfolk, CT

Go to the Workshops page to register