Frost Grape
Vitis vulpina
In the Carolinas and Georgia, found in forests and woodlands, primarily upland, but also in bottomlands. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition What its natural habitat tells you
Native to Louisiana (estimated). How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 100%
- Height
- About 83 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Somewhat dry to moist

At a glance
- Life cycle
- Woody perennial
- Leaves
- Deciduous
- Bloom
- May to June
- Fruiting season
- July to November
Not yet recorded · Spread
Recorded in 31 Louisiana parishes.
Natural habitats
Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.
Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.
Floodplain and bottomland forests
Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Louisiana. Shared habitat, not food. 99 animals.
- Yellow-crowned Night-heronNyctanassa violacea
- Yellow-rumped WarblerDendroica coronata
- Yellow-throated WarblerDendroica dominica
Widespread birds also seen here (17)
Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.
Who uses this plant?
66CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including LA
Genus host records with ranges including LA · Vitis
- Acharia stimuleaSaddleback Caterpillar Moth
- Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
- Acoloithus falsariusClemens' False Skeletonizer Moth
- Acoloithus rectariusUpright Acoloithus Moth
- Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
- Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
- Agrotis ipsilonIpsilon Dart, Black Cutworm, Greasy Cutworm
- Alypia octomaculataEight-Spot Forester, 8-Spot Forester
- Alypia wittfeldiiWittfeld's Forester Moth
- Amphion floridensisNessus Sphinx
Show all 66
- Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
- Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
- Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
- Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
- Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
- Cenopis directanaChokecherry Leafroller Moth
- Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
- Cerastis tenebriferaReddish Speckled Dart
- Darapsa myronVirginia Creeper Sphinx
- Deidamia inscriptumLettered Sphinx
- Desmia funeralisGrape Leaffolder Moth
- Dyspteris abortivariaThe Bad-Wing, Badwing
- Enyo lugubrisMournful Sphinx
- Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
- Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
- Euclidia cuspideaToothed Somberwing
- Eudryas grataBeautiful Wood-Nymph
- Eudryas unioPearly Wood-Nymph
- Eulithis diversilineataLesser Grapevine Looper Moth
- Eulithis gracilineataGreater Grapevine Looper
- Eumorpha achemonAchemon Sphinx
- Eumorpha intermediaIntermediate Sphinx
- Eumorpha labruscaeGaudy Sphinx
- Eumorpha pandorusPandorus Sphinx, Pandora Sphinx
- Eumorpha satellitiaThe Satellite Sphinx
- Eumorpha vitisVine Sphinx
- Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
- Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
- Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
- Harrisina americanaGrapeleaf Skeletonizer Moth
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
- Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
- Paonias myopsSmall-Eyed Sphinx
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
- Paralobesia viteanaAmerican Vine Moth, Grape Berry Moth
- Paranthrene tabaniformisDusky Clearwing
- Phyllocnistis vitifoliellaGrape Serpentine Leafminer
- Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
- Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
- Psychomorpha epimenisGrapevine Epimenis
- Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
- Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
- Sphecodina abbottiiAbbott's Sphinx
- Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
- Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
- Vitacea admirandusLesser Grape Borer
- Vitacea polistiformisGrape Root Borer Moth
- Vitacea scepsiformisVirginia Creeper Clearwing, Lesser Grape Root Borer
- Acoloithus novaricus
- Cacotherapia unipuncta
10BeesSoutheastern regional records
Southeastern regional records · Vitis
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
22BirdsRecorded eating Vitis in Louisiana
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes Louisiana, most records first.
- Wild TurkeyFruit. 6 diet records
- American RobinFruit. 6 diet records
- White-winged Dove6 diet records
- Wood DuckSeeds. 3 diet records
- Cedar WaxwingFruit. 3 diet records
- Eastern KingbirdFruit. 3 diet records
- European Starling2 diet records
- American Crow2 diet records
- Hermit ThrushFruit and seeds. 2 diet records
- Red-headed Woodpecker2 diet records
Show all 22
- Blue-headed Vireo1 diet record
- Brown-headed Cowbird1 diet record
- Downy Woodpecker1 diet record
- Northern Cardinal1 diet record
- Red-bellied Woodpecker1 diet record
- Red-winged Blackbird1 diet record
- Spotted TowheeFruit. 1 diet record
- Swainson's ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
- White-breasted Nuthatch1 diet record
- Wood ThrushFruit and seeds. 1 diet record
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherFruit. 1 diet record
- Yellow-throated Vireo1 diet record
Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
No records yet · Ants · Beetles · Flies · Adult butterflies / moths · Other wasps · Other insects
Birds that eat Vitis 22
Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.
- Wild TurkeyMeleagris gallopavo
- American RobinTurdus migratorius
- White-winged DoveZenaida asiatica
- Wood DuckAix sponsa
- Cedar WaxwingBombycilla cedrorum
- Eastern KingbirdTyrannus tyrannus
- European StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- American CrowCorvus brachyrhynchos
- Hermit ThrushCatharus guttatus
- Red-headed WoodpeckerMelanerpes erythrocephalus
- Blue-headed VireoVireo solitarius
- Brown-headed CowbirdMolothrus ater
- Downy WoodpeckerPicoides pubescens
- Northern CardinalCardinalis cardinalis
- Red-bellied WoodpeckerMelanerpes carolinus
- Red-winged BlackbirdAgelaius phoeniceus
- Spotted TowheePipilo maculatus
- Swainson's ThrushCatharus ustulatus
- White-breasted NuthatchSitta carolinensis
- Wood ThrushHylocichla mustelina
- Yellow-bellied FlycatcherEmpidonax flaviventris
- Yellow-throated VireoVireo flavifrons
Plant details
- Family
- Vitaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 5a–10b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
- Flower color
- Yellow or white
- Growth rate
- Moderate
- Growth habit
- Several stems
- Foliage color
- Green
- Fruit begins
- July
- Fruit ends
- November
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Bloom · “May to June” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Flower color · “Yellow or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs)
- Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Fruit begins · “July” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Fruit ends · “November” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
- Growth habit · “Several stems” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Growth rate · “Moderate” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- Hardiness · “Zones 5a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “About 83 feet” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
- 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 · “Moist; Occasionally dry” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Also known as
Winter Grape
Conservation status
| Louisiana rank | SNR |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| LA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Will it fit your yard?
Check this plant against your county, sun and soil moisture. Conditions are checked in your browser.
Sources
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025)
- Louisiana occurrence source
- 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


























