Nodding Chickweed
Cerastium nutans
Native to Arkansas (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 76%
- Height
- 4–20 inches
- Light
- Sun, Part shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
No photograph yet. Looking for an old drawing…
At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual
Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves · Bloom
Bloom: NC species account not read yet.
Spread and leaves: no source found yet.
This plant is missing most of its facts, so Quercus is looking them up in old botany books.
Recorded in 17 Arkansas counties.
Who uses this plant?
4CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including AR
Genus host records with ranges including AR · Cerastium
- Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
- Agrotis venerabilisVenerable Dart, Dusky Cut-Worm
- Hadena capsularisCapsule Moth
- Haematopis gratariaChickweed Geometer
3BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Cerastium
Individual names are not available yet.
Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
6BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Cerastium
- Anser caerulescensSnow Goose
- Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
- Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
- Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
- Lagopus leucuraWhite-tailed Ptarmigan
- Lagopus mutaRock Ptarmigan
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Flies 5
- Eristalis bastardi
- Helophilus latifrons
- Melanostoma mellinum
- Peleteria robusta
- Sphaerophoria cylindrica
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Adult butterflies / moths 1
- Phyciodes tharos
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Other wasps · Other insects
Plant details
- Family
- Caryophyllaceae
- Flower color
- White
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “White” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Height · “4–20 inches” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Life cycle · “Annual” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Light · “Sun; Part shade” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- primary_flower_color · “white” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Soil · “Moist” · Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Also known as
Nodding Mouse Ear Chickweed
Conservation status
| Arkansas rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| AR status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Arkansas occurrence source
- Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
- Noori, Seltmann & Orr 2026, A curated and integrated dataset for exploring global bee-plant interactions (GloBI), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
- Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
- Narango, Tallamy & Shropshire 2020, Few keystone plant genera support the majority of Lepidoptera species, Nature Communications

