Quercus

Common Horseweed

Erigeron canadensis

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Very weedy. Can be difficult to manage in a garden. Hidden from planting suggestions by default; wildlife value remains unchanged. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

28CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Erigeron

  • Abagrotis magnicupidaOne-Dotted Dart
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
  • Bucculatrix angustataNarrow Bucculatrix
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
  • Cucullia floreaGray Hooded Owlet
  • Cucullia speyeriSpeyer's Cucullia, Speyer's Paint
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
Show all 28
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Leuconycta diphteroidesGreen Leuconycta
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Phyciodes tharosPearl Crescent, Crescentspot
  • Schinia arcigeraArcigera Flower Moth
  • Schinia lynxLynx Flower Moth
  • Schinia obscurataObscure Schinia Moth, Erigeron Flower Moth
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Hellinsia chlorias
  • Parectopa plantaginisella
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
74BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Erigeron

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
9Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Erigeron

  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena fulvipennis
  • Andrena nubecula
  • Andrena simplex
  • Colletes americanus
  • Colletes simulans
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Perdita boltoniae
  • Protandrena aestivalis
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
4BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Erigeron

  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Tympanuchus pallidicinctusLesser Prairie-Chicken
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Flies 4
  • Eristalis tenax
  • Musca domestica
  • Pollenia rudis
  • Senotainia trilineata

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 5
  • Anacrabro ocellatus
  • Ancistrocerus tigris
  • Cerceris clypeata
  • Eucerceris zonatus
  • Polistes variatus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Adult butterflies / moths · Other insects

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Flower color
Cream or white
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Conyza canadensis; Horseweed

Conservation status

Kentucky rankSNR
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Sources