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Asters are notoriously difficult to positively identify - there are dozens of species in our area,and they often crossbreed. There is nothing wrong with referring to them all as "those pretty blue asters" . Before now, I had never bothered to try pinning down a few local species, but I felt I owed you my best effort. After many hours of peering at specimens, and poring over several reference books, I am comfortable offering the following guide to blue/violet asters in the Asheville area:

"Asters" are members of the large genus Aster, part of the truly huge family of Asteraceae. (The family Asteraceae covers everything from asters to yarrow, with dandelions, thistles, ironweed, blazing stars, goldenrods, daisies, sunflowers, rosinweed, coneflowers, beggar-ticks, even ragweed, in between.)

Around Asheville, you are most likely to see two blue/violet true Asters: the above Heart-Leaved Aster, and the Late Purple Aster. The Heart-Leaved Aster is relatively easy to identify (for an Aster, at any rate). There are only two Asters in our area with blue/violet flowers and distinctly heart-shaped leaves (with deep sinuses) on long leaf stalks: the Heart-Leaved, and the Large-Leaved (Aster macrophyllus). The Heart-leaved Aster  grows profusely in the shadowy mid-elevation slopes of our hardwood forests. By late September you can find whole understories of these hazy blue flowers. They do not like strong sun - you won't find it growing on roadsides or in open fields. The plants grow about 2-3 feet high, with many small blue to pale violet flowers about 1/2" across. The leaves average 2-3 inches at their widest, are distinctly heart-shaped and grow on long petioles (leaf stalks), and are toothed.

The next nearest possibility is the Large-leaved Aster which has very large leaves, up to 8 inches across, and I don't think I've ever seen it. (Occasionally a different aster will have some heart-shaped leaves, but they will also usually have winged petioles.)

Please go to the entry for Late Purple Aster for more details on some other common blue asters.