I went for a rainy midday walk in this area in old field succession-- that is, a recently abandoned farmland which has been taken over by shrubs and large weeds, with the intention of becoming forest in time. Over the summer, it was full of milkweed and butterflies. Today, it was mostly grasses, vetch, and scattered clusters of these bright purple New England Asters, members of the sunflower family. These tall wildflowers bloom in September, and have just begun to close up.