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Pacific Aster growing on the Marin headlands overlooking the Pacific Ocean.

Pacific Aster (Symphyotrichum chilense) A.k.a. Common California Aster. Native, perennial plant in the Asteraceae family that grows 4--10 dm (up to 39 inches) tall in disturbed soil, grassy areas, or in salt marshes near the coast. Foliage is dark green—not gray/tomentose like California Aster (Corethrogyne filaginifolia) and not sandpapery rough like Roughleaf Aster (Eurybia radulina). Leaves are oblanceolate with acute tips, and +- hairy. Leaf margins are entire to finely serrate. Stems are hairy distally and less erect than Roughleaf Aster (Eurybia radulina). Ray flowers are long and slender, 15-40, and pale violet, Disk flowers are yellow with reddish base more visible in older flowers. Per Jepson, "Phyllaries are oblong to ovate, outer green +- to base, obtuse, inner pale-margined, +- acute, green zone oblanceolate to linear." Peak bloom time: July- October.

Jepson eFlora https://ucjeps.berkeley.edu/eflora/eflora_display.php?tid=80313

Jepson eFlora Key to Symphyotrichum: https://keybase.rbg.vic.gov.au/keys/show/3527?filter_id=6520da49e1811
There are 6 Symphyotrichum species in CCo (Central Coast of CA):
Symphyotrichum chilense (Pacific Aster)
Symphyotrichum frondosum
Symphyotrichum lentum
Symphyotrichum subspicatum (Douglas' Aster)
Symphyotrichum subulatum var. parviflorum
Symphyotrichum subulatum var. squamatum

Flora of North America http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Symphyotrichum_chilense and http://beta.floranorthamerica.org/Main_Page

Plants of Monterey County: an Illustrated Field Key, 2nd edition, Matthews and Mitchell, 2015, pp. 47-48.

Flora of Fort Ord: Monterey County, California, David Styer, 2019, p. 60.

Monterey County Wildflowers: a Field Guide, Yeager and Mitchell, 2016, p. 21.

Monterey County Wildflowers https://montereywildflowers.com/asteraceae-astermisc/

Oregon Flora https://oregonflora.org/taxa/index.php?taxon=8706

23 Sep 2015.
Giving Pond Recreation Area, Bucks Co, PA.
Female, white form.
Found on Symphyotrichum.
In addition to the flight photo, my ID is based upon the fact this female was being pursued by a very orange male.

Large colony of shining aster (Symphyotrichum firmum) near Mount Brydges, Ontario.

I suspect that some reports of willowleaf aster (S. praealtum) are based on misidentifications of this species. More details in my other observation.

Middlesex County, Ontario, Canada.

Amethyst aster (Symphyotrichum x amethystinum), the hybrid between heath aster (S. ericoides) and New England aster (S. novae-angliae), growing on an old railway embankment.

This is another species that I suspect has been misidentified as willowleaf aster (S. praealtum). Note the dense stem pubescence and broad, spinule-tipped phyllaries. Those features, in addition to the dark green abaxial leaf surfaces, differentiate this hybrid.

Kent County, Ontario, Canada.

Again found it very common along the slims river.
It has linear leaves somewhat clasping stems but most importantly phyllaries that are densely glandular and villous

Seems to be commonly occurring restricted to this location. Most of them are not flowering at the moment (we just saw one) but I did try to map the east side of the slims river until the glacier for @brucebennett

Hairs on the stems and leaves are conspicuously hirsute (bristly) throughout the year. The rhizomatous growth habit of white prairie aster results in its spreading form, stems evenly scattered and firmly attached to a perennial underground rhizome system. White ray petals contrast to yellow disk flowers in each flowering head. This site lies in the steppe along the west facing slopes at the north end of Burke Park, Bozeman, Montana.

Last photo. Taken at the end of October to illustrate the stems and leaves that remain conspicuously hirsute.

Went to Welder Wildlife Refuge to look for a few plants and other things (with permission from director). Tried to find a few historic plant populations, but those areas were dominated with non-native grasses. Oh well. Still had some fun finding other critters and plants! :)

heads congested at tips of lateral branches, inflorescences not densely leafy; involucres 4-5 mm high; leaves oblanceolate to elliptic, margins entire or inconspicuously toothed; rays white and drying lavender and >20, stems mostly glabrous, rhizomatous perennial, phyllaries not subulate tipped, disc flowers 4-6 mm long

Here's what Weakley says:
1 Phyllaries appressed; rays usually < 20 [(10-) 12-23 (-34)]; [section Heterophylli].
2 Middle stem with a winged, sheathing petiole; involucre (4.2-) 4.5-8 mm high; disc corollas (15-) 19-33 (-43); phyllaries acute, green blaze on phyllary diamond-shaped, about as long as wide or slightly longer.
3 Leaf faces glabrous.
4 Leaves cauline, the largest on the stem; largest leaves narrowly to broadly lanceolate, avg. < 9× as long as wide; leaf margins usually only slightly scabrous; [mainly of inland provinces, of NS west to MB, south to GA, Panhandle FL, MS, LA, and OK].
5 Larger leaves > 5× as long as wide, rarely > 2.5 cm wide, the bases slightly clasping; [NYand KY south to GA, Panhandle FL (Jackson County), and MS] ............................................................................................................................................... S. concinnum