Photographs are not available yet.
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
10CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY
Genus host records with ranges including KY · Hydrangea
- Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
- Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
- Darapsa versicolorHydrangea Sphinx
- Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
- Gandaritis atricolorataDark-Banded Geometer
- Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
- Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
- Olethreutes ferriferanaHydrangea Leaftier
- Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
- Aspilanta hydrangaeella
17BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Hydrangea
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
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claimBeetles 4
- Euderces picipes
- Mordellistena ornata
- Mordellistena pubescens
- Typocerus velutinus
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Flies 6
- Archytas analis
- Eristalis tenax
- Graphomyia americana
- Musca domestica
- Sphaerophoria cylindrica
- Syrphus americanus
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
Adult butterflies / moths 1
- Harrisina americana
Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA
No records yet · Ants · Other wasps · Other insects
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Hydrangeaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–9b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to neutral
- Flower color
- Cream, green, pink or white
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “Spring and summer” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Flower color · “Cream, green, pink or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–9b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “3–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day); Partial shade (direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil · “Good drainage; Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to neutral” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Spread · “3–5 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Wild Hydrangea
Conservation status
| Kentucky rank | S5 |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| KY status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
In your garden
Will it fit your spot?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Choose a county to begin.
Sources
- tnky_atlas
- usda
- nc_flora
- 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