Virginia Creeper

Parthenocissus quinquefolia

Found in swamp forests, bottomlands, maritime forests and thickets, rock outcrops, moist forests. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

Strong

Native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

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Height: 30–50 feet
Spread: 5–10 feet
Light: Dappled sunlight, Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture: Somewhat dry to moist

Space about 7.5 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

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Parthenocissus quinquefolia — fruit photograph — Nathan Howell; Howell, Krings and Braham (2016) · CC BY 4.0 · Original photograph

At a glance

Life cycle: Woody perennial
Leaves: Deciduous or evergreen
Bloom: Late spring
Fruiting season: Spring to fall

Recorded in 102 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

1 of 6

Named place / source context. Shown: Great Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, as titled by Museum of Fine Arts Boston; nineteenth-century artistic interpretation, a neighboring state.View, Dismal Swamp, North Carolina, Regis Francois Gignoux, 1850. Public domain. Source record.

Named place / source context. Shown: Chickamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park, Georgia and Tennessee; which part is not recorded, a neighboring state.Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields, Richard Schlecht, undated. Public domain. Source record.

Rock outcrop on a mountain summit. Shown: Sassafras Mountain, on the North Carolina and South Carolina line, a neighboring state.Sassafras Mountain rock outcrop, Alan M. Cressler / U.S. Geological Survey, undated. Public domain. Source record. Faithful JPEG display decode of embedded JP2; no AI or color enhancement. Phone derivative resized proportionally.

Regional / representative. Shown: Mountains of North and South Carolina; exact site not identified, a neighboring state.Shortia beneath rhododendrons in mountain woodland, Marian Ellis Rowan, 1901. Public domain. Source record.

Floodplain and bottomland forests

Forests on low ground beside rivers and streams that flood from time to time.

Maritime forests and thickets

Salt-pruned forests and shrub thickets behind coastal dunes.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 161 animals.

Fox Sparrow
Passerella iliaca
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Northern Parula
Parula americana
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Ruffed Grouse
Bonasa umbellus
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Scarlet Tanager
Piranga olivacea
Birds. 12 shared habitats
Swainson's Warbler
Limnothlypis swainsonii
Birds. 12 shared habitats
White-eyed Vireo
Vireo griseus
Birds. 12 shared habitats
American Woodcock
Scolopax minor
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Black Vulture
Coragyps atratus
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Black-throated Green Warbler
Dendroica virens
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Cerulean Warbler
Dendroica cerulea
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Kentucky Warbler
Oporornis formosus
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Louisiana Waterthrush
Seiurus motacilla
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Orange-crowned Warbler
Vermivora celata
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Red-shouldered Hawk
Buteo lineatus
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Summer Tanager
Piranga rubra
Birds. 11 shared habitats
Dark-eyed Junco
Junco hyemalis
Birds. 10 shared habitats
Indigo Bunting
Passerina cyanea
Birds. 10 shared habitats
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Aegolius acadicus
Birds. 10 shared habitats
Red-breasted Nuthatch
Sitta canadensis
Birds. 10 shared habitats
Veery
Catharus fuscescens
Birds. 10 shared habitats
Alder Flycatcher
Empidonax alnorum
Birds. 8 shared habitats
Black-capped Chickadee
Poecile atricapillus
Birds. 8 shared habitats
Black-throated Blue Warbler
Dendroica caerulescens
Birds. 8 shared habitats
Blue-winged Warbler
Vermivora pinus
Birds. 8 shared habitats

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

31CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Parthenocissus

Adela ridingsellaRidings' Fairy Moth
Albuna fraxiniVirginia Creeper Clearwing
Alypia octomaculataEight-Spot Forester, 8-Spot Forester
Amphion floridensisNessus Sphinx
Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
Darapsa myronVirginia Creeper Sphinx
Deidamia inscriptumLettered Sphinx
Desmia funeralisGrape Leaffolder Moth
Dyspteris abortivariaThe Bad-Wing, Badwing
Eudryas grataBeautiful Wood-Nymph

Show all 31

Eulithis diversilineataLesser Grapevine Looper Moth
Eulithis gracilineataGreater Grapevine Looper
Eumorpha achemonAchemon Sphinx
Eumorpha pandorusPandorus Sphinx, Pandora Sphinx
Geina periscelidactylaGrape Plume Moth
Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
Harrisina americanaGrapeleaf Skeletonizer Moth
Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
Lophocampa caryaeHickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
Monochroa absconditellaStrawberry Crown Miner
Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
Phigalia strigatariaSmall Phigalia, Small Oak Looper
Phyllodesma americanaLappet Moth, American Lappet Moth, Southern Lappet Moth
Psychomorpha epimenisGrapevine Epimenis
Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
Sphecodina abbottiiAbbott's Sphinx
Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
Vitacea scepsiformisVirginia Creeper Clearwing, Lesser Grape Root Borer
Heliozela aesella

Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)

20BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Parthenocissus

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

0Specialist beesPollen specialists

12BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

Sialia sialisEastern Bluebird
Catharus fuscescensVeery
Catharus guttatusHermit Thrush
Catharus ustulatusSwainson's Thrush
Hylocichla mustelinaWood Thrush
Plectrophenax nivalisSnow Bunting
Tachycineta bicolorTree Swallow
Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
Tyrannus verticalisWestern Kingbird

Show all 12

Vireo griseusWhite-eyed Vireo
Vireo olivaceusRed-eyed Vireo

Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)

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

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

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family: Vitaceae
Hardiness: Zones 3a–10b
Soil pH: Acidic to alkaline
Flower color: Green or white
Growth rate: Rapid
Growth habit: Spreads by runners
Foliage color: Green
Fruit begins: Spring
Fruit ends: Fall

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

Growing sources and scope

Bloom · “Late spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Flower color · “Green or white” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Fall” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Spreads by runners” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Hardiness · “Zones 3a–10b” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Height · “30–50 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
Leaves · “Deciduous or evergreen” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Life cycle · “Woody perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Dappled sunlight (shade through upper canopy all day); 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; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
Soil · “Moist; Occasionally dry; Occasionally wet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; Tennessee Smart Yards, Virginia DCR Piedmont, Virginia DCR Coastal Plain differ)
Soil pH · “Acidic to alkaline” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Spread · “5–10 feet” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox

Conservation status

Virginia rank	S5
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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How to check your spot

Growing cautions

Spreads by runners. USDA PLANTS lists its growth form as stoloniferous. USDA PLANTS

For planning only; these do not change the score or Fit.

Virginia Creeper

At a glance

Natural habitats

Also found with this plant

Who uses this plant?

Plant details

Conservation status

Will it fit your yard?

Growing cautions

Sources

More Parthenocissus