Quercus

Gray Dogwood

Cornus racemosa

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?

113CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Cornus

  • Celastrina ladonSpring Azure
  • Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Acronicta funeralisFunerary Dagger, Paddle Caterpillar
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Acronicta impressaImpressive Dagger, Printed Dagger
  • Acronicta longaLong-Winged Dagger, Darkish Dagger
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
Show all 113
  • Ancylis muricanaRed-Headed Ancylis
  • Anisota virginiensisPink-striped Oakworm Moth
  • Antaeotricha leucillanaWell-Marked Leaf Tier, Pale Gray Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips griseaGray Archips
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Archips rileyanaSouthern Ugly-Nest Caterpillar Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Caloptilia belfragellaDogwood Caloptilia
  • Campaea perlataPale Beauty, Fringed Looper
  • Cecrita biundataWavy-Lined Heterocampa
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Cenopis diluticostanaSpring Dead-Leaf Roller Moth, Oak Cenopis
  • Choristoneura conflictanaLarge Aspen Tortrix
  • Choristoneura fractivittanaBroken-Banded Leafroller, Lined Corn-Borer Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Coelodasys unicornisUnicorn Caterpillar Moth
  • Dasychira basiflavaYellow-Based Tussock Moth
  • Eacles imperialisImperial Moth, Imperial Spiny Caterpillar
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Elasmopalpus lignosellaLesser Cornstalk Borer
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
  • Epinotia lindanaDiamondback Epinotia, Dogwood Leafroller
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Euchlaena irrariaLeast-Marked Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena johnsonariaJohnson's Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena serrataThe Saw-Wing
  • Euchlaena tigrinariaMotted Euchlaena
  • Eudeilinia herminiataNorthern Eudeilinia [for Eudeilinia herminiata], Dogwood Caterpillar, Southern Eudeilinia [for Eudeilinia luteifera]
  • Eugonobapta nivosariaSnowy Geometer
  • Eumarozia malachitanaSculptured Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Euplexia benesimilisAmerican Angle Shades
  • Euthyatira pudensDogwood Thyatirid
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Haploa leconteiLeconte's Haploa
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hydrelia albiferaFragile White Carpet
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
  • Hypena abalienalisWhite-Lined Bomolocha, White-Lined Snout
  • Hypena bijugalisDimorphic Bomolocha, Dimorphic Snout
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Lacanobia grandisGrand Arches
  • Lithacodes fasciolaYellow-Shouldered Slug
  • Lithophane baileyiBailey's Pinion
  • Lithophane laticinereaBroad Ashen Pinion, Russet Spotted Pinion, Triple-Spotted Pinion
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Melanolophia signatariaSignate Melanolphia
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Morrisonia evictaBicolored Woodgrain
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Olethreutes connectumBunchberry Leaffolder
  • Olethreutes inornatanaInornate Olethreutes
  • Olethreutes malanaSlender Brown Budworm, Malana Leafroller
  • Orgyia definitaDefinite Tussock Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia garmaniGarman's Quaker
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Orthotaenia undulanaDusky Leafroller
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Pandemis limitataThree-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Parasa chlorisSmaller Parasa, Green Slug Moth
  • Parasa indeterminaStinging Rose Caterpillar Moth, Rose Slug Caterpillar
  • Pero morrisonariaMorrison's Pero
  • Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
  • Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
  • Phobetron pitheciumHag Moth, Monkey Slug
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Probole alienariaDogwood Probole, Alien Probole
  • Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
  • Probole nepiasariaHeath Probole
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Rifargia subrotataSmall Heterocampa
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Sphinx chersisGreat Ash Sphinx
  • Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
  • Synanthedon scitulaDogwood Borer, Pecan Borer
  • Syndemis afflictanaFall Dead-Leaf Roller, Gray Leafroller, Black-and-Grey Banded Leafroller
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tortricidia pallidaRed-Cross Button Slug
  • Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
  • Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
  • Zale aeruginosaGreen-Dusted Zale
  • Zale undularisBlack Zale
  • Caloptilia cornusella
  • Carposina ottawana
  • Olethreutes exaeresimum
  • Olethreutes subnubilum
  • Paralobesia rhoifructana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
15BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Cornus

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
4Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Swida

  • Andrena fragilis
  • Andrena integra
  • Andrena persimulata
  • Andrena platyparia
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
28BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Cardinalis cardinalisNorthern Cardinal
  • Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
  • Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Catharus fuscescensVeery
  • Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
  • Catharus minimus/bicknelliGray-cheeked/Bicknell's Thrush
  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
Show all 28
  • Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
  • Contopus virensEastern Wood-Pewee
  • Empidonax alnorum/trailliiAlder/Willow Flycatcher (Traill's Flycatcher)
  • Empidonax flaviventrisYellow-bellied Flycatcher
  • Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
  • Melanerpes erythrocephalusRed-headed Woodpecker
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Patagioenas fasciataBand-tailed Pigeon
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Sayornis nigricansBlack Phoebe
  • Tachycineta bicolorTree Swallow
  • Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
  • Vireo gilvusWarbling Vireo
  • Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo
  • Vireo philadelphicusPhiladelphia Vireo
  • Vireo solitariusBlue-headed Vireo
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Cornaceae
Hardiness
Zones 4–8
Soil pH
Neutral
Flower color
White
Growth rate
Moderate
Growth habit
Spreads by rhizomes
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Fall
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Cornus racemosa; Gray Dogwood; Northern Swamp Dogwood

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS2?
Global rankNot available
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

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