Quercus

Blue Vervain

Verbena hastata

Native to Kentucky (estimated)

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

12CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Verbena

  • Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
  • Catabena lineolataFine-Lined Sallow
  • Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Crambodes talidiformisVerbena Groundling, Verbena Moth
  • Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
  • Junonia coeniaCommon Buckeye
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Papaipema nepheleptenaTurtlehead Borer
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
Show all 12
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
39BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Verbena

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
2Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Verbena

  • Calliopsis michenerella
  • Calliopsis nebraskensis
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
8BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
  • Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
  • Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Colinus virginianusNorthern Bobwhite
  • Columbina passerinaCommon Ground Dove
  • Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
  • Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Flies 10
  • Archytas analis
  • Exoprosopa fasciata
  • Exoprosopa fascipennis
  • Geron rufipes
  • Helicobia 4-setosa
  • Physocephala texana
  • Physocephala tibialis
  • Scepsis fulvicollis
  • Systoechus vulgaris
  • Systropus macer

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Adult butterflies / moths 3
  • Ancyloxypha numitor
  • Pholisora catullus
  • Pontia protodice

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other wasps 7
  • Ammobia ichneumonea
  • Bembix nubillipennis
  • Priononyx atrata
  • Sphex gracilis
  • Sphex nigricans
  • Sphex procera
  • Vespula maculata

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

Other insects 1
  • Calocoris rapidus

Flower visits · Carlinville, Illinois, USA

No records yet · Ants · Beetles

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Verbenaceae
Hardiness
Zones 3a–8b
Flower color
Blue or purple

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Swamp Vervain

Conservation status

Kentucky rankS4S5
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

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