Many of us are familiar with Robert Frost as a poet who uses nature as the setting and focus of much of his writing. His poem “A Late Walk” is rich with images of autumn. Frost describes the seasonal transformation of the landscape in the mown field, the covered path, the tangled garden, the sad whir of birds, and the bare trees. The last stanza portrays both memories of the season gone and hope for future seasons that are held in “the faded blue, Of the last remaining aster flower.” Why did Frost choose an aster? Why did he feel such a strong association between the aster and the changing of the seasons? What is so special about this little blue flower?