Quercus

Butternut

Juglans cinerea

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

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

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

134CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Juglans

  • Actias lunaLuna Moth
  • Citheronia regalisRegal Moth
  • Satyrium calanusBanded Hairstreak
  • Abagrotis alternataGreater Red Dart, Mottled Grey Cutworm
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acrobasis demotellaWalnut Shoot Moth
  • Acrobasis juglandisPecan Leaf Casebearer
  • Acrobasis stigmellaHickory Bud-and-Shoot Borer
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
Show all 134
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Allotria elonymphaFalse Underwing
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amorpha juglandisWalnut Sphinx
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Amyelois transitellaNavel Orangeworm
  • Anatrachyntis rileyiPink Scavanger Caterpillar
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips infumatanaSmoked Leafroller Moth
  • Archips rileyanaSouthern Ugly-Nest Caterpillar Moth
  • Argyrotaenia juglandanaHickory Leafroller
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Baileya australisSmall Baileya
  • Baileya dormitansSleeping Baileya
  • Baileya levitansPale Baileya
  • Baileya ophthalmicaEyed Baileya
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Caloptilia blandellaWalnut Caloptilia
  • Cameraria caryaefoliellaPecan Leafminer Moth, Hickory Blotchminer
  • Catastega timidellaOak Trumpet Skeletonizer Moth
  • Catocala flebilisMourning Underwing
  • Catocala habilisHabilis Underwing
  • Catocala innubensThe Betrothed
  • Catocala judithJudith's Underwing
  • Catocala lacrymosaTearful Underwing
  • Catocala maestosaSad Underwing
  • Catocala nebulosaClouded Underwing
  • Catocala neogamaThe Bride
  • Catocala palaeogamaOldwife Underwing
  • Catocala piatrixThe Penitent, Penitent Underwing
  • Catocala retectaYellow-Grey Underwing
  • Catocala robinsoniiRobinson's Underwing
  • Catocala serenaSerene Underwing
  • Catocala subnataYouthful Underwing
  • Catocala viduaWidow Underwing
  • Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Cenopis directanaChokecherry Leafroller Moth
  • Chaetaglaea sericeaSilky Sallow
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Coleophora laticornellaPecan Cigar Casebearer
  • Coleophora pruniellaCherry Casebearer, Apple Leafmining Casebearer, Western Cigar Casebearer
  • Colocasia propinquilineaClosebanded Yellowhorn
  • Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
  • Cydia caryanaHickory Shuckworm, Pecan Shuckworm
  • Cydia latiferreanaFilbertworm
  • Dasychira obliquataStreaked Tussock Moth
  • Datana drexeliiDrexel's Datana
  • Datana integerrimaWalnut Caterpillar Moth
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Derrima stellataPink Star
  • Dichomeris ligulellaPalmerworm
  • Dryocampa rubicundaRosy Maple Moth, Green-Striped Mapleworm, Rosy Dryocampa
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Egira alternansAlternate Woodling
  • Elaphria versicolorVariegated Midget
  • Ennomos magnariaMaple Spanworm Moth, Notchwing Geometer
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eupsilia cirripaleaFranclemont's Sallow
  • Eupsilia sidusSidus Sallow
  • Eupsilia tristigmataThree-Spotted Sallow, Brown Fruitworm
  • Eupsilia vinulentaStraight-Toothed Sallow
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
  • Gretchena amatanaLikeable Gretchena
  • Gretchena bollianaPecan Bud Moth
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Haploa leconteiLeconte's Haploa
  • Haploa reversaReversed Haploa
  • Heterocampa pulvereaWhite-Blotched Heterocampa
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
  • Hypena madefactalisGray-Edged Bomolocha, Gray-Edged Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis defectariaBrown-Shaded Gray, Willow Looper
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Isa textulaCrowned Slug
  • Lithophane antennataAshen Pinion
  • Lochmaeus bilineataDouble-Lined Prominent
  • Lochmaeus manteoVariable Oakleaf Caterpillar Moth
  • Lophocampa caryaeHickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
  • Lophocampa maculataSpotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Nemoria bistriariaTwo-Striped Emerald, Red-Fringed Emerald
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Oedemasia leptinoidesBlack-Blotched Schizura
  • Olethreutes inornatanaInornate Olethreutes
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia garmaniGarman's Quaker
  • Orthosia revictaSubdued Quaker
  • Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
  • Panopoda rufimargoRed-Lined Panopoda
  • Parallelia bistriarisMaple Looper Moth
  • Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
  • Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
  • Phobetron pitheciumHag Moth, Monkey Slug
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Prolimacodes badiaSkiff Moth, Skiff Caterpillar
  • Psaphida electilisChosen Sallow
  • Pyrrhia ciliscaAmerican Bordered Sallow, Noble Sun Moth
  • Satyrium caryaevorusHickory Hairstreak
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Selenia kentariaKent's Geometer
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Stigmella juglandifoliellaPecan Serpentine Leafminer
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Acrobasis tumidulella
  • Caloptilia juglandiella
  • Coptodisca juglandiella
  • Dichomeris ventrellus
  • Gretchena concitatricana
  • Gretchena concubitana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
—BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Juglandaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–7b
Soil pH
Acidic to neutral
Flower color
Yellow or green
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Fall
Fruit ends
Winter
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Butternut; White Walnut

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS2S3
Global rankG3
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Sources