Quercus

Northern White Cedar

Thuja occidentalis

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?

38CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Thuja

  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Argyresthia thuiellaArborvitae Leafminer
  • Argyrotaenia pinatubanaPine Tube Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Callophrys gryneusOlive Hairstreak, Juniper Hairstreak, Nelson's Hairstreak
  • Campaea perlataPale Beauty, Fringed Looper
  • Caripeta divisataGray Spruce Looper Moth
  • Choristoneura fumiferanaSpruce Budworm Moth
  • Cladara limitariaMottled Gray Carpet, Yellow-Lined Conifer Looper, Yellow-Lined Forest Looper, Black-Angled Wave
Show all 38
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Digrammia continuataCurve-Lined Angle
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Elaphria versicolorVariegated Midget
  • Eupithecia annulataLarch Pug, March Pug
  • Feralia jocosaJocose Sallow, The Joker
  • Hydriomena renunciataRenounced Hydriomena
  • Idia aemulaCommon Idia
  • Lambdina fiscellariaHemlock Looper, Western Oak Looper
  • Lithophane lemmeriLemmer's Pinion
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Nepytia canosariaFalse Hemlock Looper Moth, Evergreen Span Worm
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Patalene olyzonariaJuniper Geometer
  • Pero morrisonariaMorrison's Pero
  • Phlogophora periculosaBrown Angle Shades
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Protoboarmia porcelariaPorcelain Gray, Dashedlined Looper
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Sparganothis tristriataThree-Streaked Sparganothis
  • Spiramater lutraDarling Mamestra, Splashed Arches, Otter Spiramater, Otter Arches
  • Syngrapha aliasSpruce Looper, Hooked Silver Y
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Xestia elimataSouthern Variable Dart, Southern Pine Dart
  • Zanclognatha cruralisEarly Zanclognatha, Early Fan-Foot
  • Argyresthia freyella
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
0BeesSoutheastern regional records
0Specialist beesPollen specialists
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
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
Cupressaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–7b
Soil pH
Neutral to alkaline
Growth rate
Slow
Growth habit
Single stem
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Summer
Fruit ends
Fall
Growing sources and scope
Also known as

American Arbor Vitae; White Cedar

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS2S3
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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Sources