Lambs Quarters
Chenopodium album
—
Not native
Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?
Profile 71%
- Height
- 1–6 feet
- Light
- Full sun, Partial shade
- Soil moisture
- Usually moist
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At a glance
- Life cycle
- Annual
- Leaves
- Deciduous
Not yet recorded · Spread · Bloom
Recorded in 102 Virginia counties.
Also found with this plant
Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 35 animals.
- American AvocetRecurvirostra americana
- American OystercatcherHaematopus palliatus
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- DovekieAlle alle
- Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreus
- KilldeerCharadrius vociferus
- Lapland LongspurCalcarius lapponicus
- Mourning DoveZenaida macroura
- Piping PloverCharadrius melodus
- Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres
- Sharp-shinned HawkAccipiter striatus
- Short-eared OwlAsio flammeus
- Snowy EgretEgretta thula
- Spotted SandpiperActitis macularius
- Turkey VultureCathartes aura
- WilletTringa semipalmata
- American PipitAnthus rubescens
- Boat-tailed GrackleQuiscalus major
- Chimney SwiftChaetura pelagica
- Double-crested CormorantPhalacrocorax auritus
- DunlinCalidris alpina
- Fish CrowCorvus ossifragus
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
- Gull-billed TernGelochelidon nilotica
Ecological relationships
Who uses this plant?
37CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA
Genus host records with ranges including VA · Chenopodium
- Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
- Amyna strictaEight-Spot Moth
- Anarta trifoliiThe Nutmeg, Clover Cutworm
- Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
- Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
- Apantesis partheniceParthenice Tiger Moth
- Apantesis virgoVirgin Tiger Moth
- Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
- Blepharomastix ranalisHollow-Spotted Blepharomastix Moth
- Burnsius communisCommon Checkered-Skipper
Show all 37
- Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
- Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
- Chrysoesthia lingulacellaSilver-Banded Moth
- Emmelina monodactylaMorning-Glory Plume Moth
- Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
- Epiblema strenuanaRagweed Borer
- Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
- Herpetogramma bipunctalisSouthern Beet Webworm, Two-Spotted Herpetogramma
- Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
- Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
- Hyppa xylinoidesCommon Hyppa
- Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
- Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
- Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
- Pholisora catullusCommon Sootywing
- Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
- Rachiplusia ouGray Looper
- Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
- Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
- Spodoptera eridaniaSouthern Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
- Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
- Spoladea recurvalisHawaiian Beet Webworm
- Staphylus hayhurstiiHayhurst's Scallopwing, Scalloped Sooty Wing, Scalloped Sootywing
- Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
- Vanessa carduiPainted Lady, Cosmopolite
- Virbia aurantiacaOrange Virbia, Orange Holomelina
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
24BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim
Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Chenopodium
- Acanthis flammeaCommon Redpoll
- Agelaius phoeniceusRed-winged Blackbird
- Anthus rubescensAmerican Pipit
- Aythya collarisRing-necked Duck
- Calcarius lapponicusLapland Longspur
- Calcarius ornatusChestnut-collared Longspur
- Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
- Callipepla gambeliiGambel's Quail
- Euphagus cyanocephalusBrewer's Blackbird
- Mareca americanaAmerican Wigeon
Show all 24
- Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
- Melospiza melodiaSong Sparrow
- Melozone crissalisCalifornia Towhee
- Molothrus aterBrown-headed Cowbird
- Perdix perdixGray Partridge
- Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
- Pooecetes gramineusVesper Sparrow
- Rallus limicolaVirginia Rail
- Rhynchophanes mccowniiMcCown's Longspur
- Spinus psaltriaLesser Goldfinch
- Spizella breweriBrewer's Sparrow
- Vireo flavifronsYellow-throated Vireo
- Zenaida macrouraMourning Dove
- Zonotrichia leucophrysWhite-crowned Sparrow
Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening
Growing and identification
Plant details
- Family
- Amaranthaceae
- Hardiness
- Zones 3a–10b
- Soil pH
- Acidic to alkaline
- Flower color
- Yellow, green or pink
What its natural habitat tells you
Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.
Growing sources and scope
- Flower color · “Yellow, green or pink” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Hardiness · “Zones 3a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Height · “1–6 feet” · Minnesota Wildflowers
- Leaves · “Deciduous” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
- Life cycle · “Annual” · 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 (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Soil · “Moist” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center differs)
- Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Conservation status
| Virginia rank | Not available |
|---|---|
| Global rank | G5 |
| VA status | Not verified |
| Federal status | Not verified |
Sources
- Digital Atlas of the Virginia Flora
- USDA PLANTS
- Vascular Plants of North Carolina (NC Natural Heritage Program)
- 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