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Cutleaf Goldenrod

Solidago arguta

Found in woodlands, woodland borders, bluffs, sloped forests, road margins or cut-over woods. FloraQuest, phone app (app page) What its natural habitat tells you

95
Keystone

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

Profile 94%

Height
Up to about 4 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to moist
Will it fit your yard?

At a glance

Life cycle
Perennial
Bloom
August to October

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 68 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 2

Forest edges and thickets

Wooded scene looking out over partially open fields
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.

Forests and woodlands

Forest or woodland where the source does not say how moist or dry.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 124 animals.

All wildlife of Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

117CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Solidago

  • Aethes sexdentataSix-Toothed Aethes
  • Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
  • Agonopterix pulvipennellaGoldenrod Leaffolder, Featherduster Agonopterix
  • Agrotis gladiariaSwordsman Dart, Clay-Backed Cut-Worm
  • Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
  • Anania funebrisWhite-Spotted Sable Moth
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Ancylis floridanaStrawberry Leafroller
Show all 117
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Argyrotaenia velutinanaRed-Banded Leafroller Moth, Jack Pine Tube Moth
  • Bucculatrix angustataNarrow Bucculatrix
  • Catabena lineolataFine-Lined Sallow
  • Chlorochlamys chloroleucariaBlackberry Looper Moth
  • Chlosyne harrisiiHarris' Checkerspot
  • Chlosyne nycteisSilvery Checkerspot
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Chrysodeixis includensSoybean Looper Moth
  • Cisseps fulvicollisYellow-Collared Scape Moth
  • Clepsis clemensianaClemens' Clepsis
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Condica sutorThe Cobbler, Cobbler Groundling
  • Condica vidensWhite-Dotted Groundling
  • Cremastobombycia solidaginisGoldenrod Leafminer
  • Ctenoplusia oxygrammaSharp-Stigma Looper Moth
  • Cucullia asteroidesThe Asteroid, Asteroid Paint, Goldenrod Hooded Owlet
  • Cucullia convexipennisBrown Hooded Owlet, Calico Paint
  • Cucullia floreaGray Hooded Owlet
  • Cucullia speyeriSpeyer's Cucullia, Speyer's Paint
  • Dichomeris bilobellaBilobed Dichomeris Moth
  • Dichomeris flavocostellaCream-Edged Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris inserrataIndented Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris juncidellaOrange-Dotted Dichomeris
  • Dichomeris ochripalpellaShining Dichomeris Moth
  • Dichomeris setosellaHairy Dichomeris
  • Endothenia hebesanaVerbena Bud Moth
  • Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
  • Epiblema scudderianaScudder's Epiblema, Goldenrod Gall Moth
  • Epiblema tripartitanaThree-Parted Epiblema
  • Episimus argutanaSumac Leaftier
  • Eucosma formosanaBeautiful Phaneta
  • Eucosma ochroterminanaBuff-Tipped Phaneta
  • Eucosma raracanaReddish Eucosma, Reddish Phaneta
  • Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eupsilia deviaLost Sallow
  • Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
  • Evora hemidesmaSpirea Leaftier
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Gnorimoschema gallaeasterellaGoldenrod Gall Moth
  • Gnorimoschema gallaesolidaginisGoldenrod Gall Moth
  • Gnorimoschema jocelynaeX
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Hellinsia kellicottiiGoldenrod Borer Plume Moth
  • Herpetogramma aeglealisSerpentine Webworm
  • Herpetogramma pertextalisBold-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Herpetogramma thestealisZigzag Herpetogramma, Subtle-Feathered Grass Moth
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
  • Leuconycta diphteroidesGreen Leuconycta
  • Lioptilodes albistriolatusMousy Plume Moth
  • Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
  • Melanchra assimilisBlack Arches
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Orthodes cynicaCynical Quaker, Cynical Groundcat
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Papaipema duovataSeaside Golden Rod Borer
  • Papaipema rutilaMayapple Borer
  • Pelochrista cataclystianaSolidaga Eucosma, Solidaga Pelochrista
  • Pelochrista derelictaDerelict Eucosma
  • Pelochrista dorsisignatanaTriangle-Backed Eucosma
  • Pelochrista robinsonanaRobinson's Pelochrista, Robinson's Eucosma
  • Pelochrista similianaSimilar Eucosma
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Platynota stultanaOmnivorous Leafroller
  • Pleuroprucha insulsariaCommon Tan Wave
  • Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
  • Schinia nundinaGoldenrod Flower Moth
  • Sonia canadanaCanadian Sonia Moth
  • Sonia constrictanaConstricted Sonia
  • Sparganothis distinctaDistinct Sparganothis
  • Sparganothis sulfureanaSparganothis Fruitworm Moth, Sulfur Leafroller, False Yellow-Head
  • Sparganothis unifascianaOne-Lined Sparganothis
  • Spodoptera ornithogalliYellow-Striped Armyworm Moth, Cotton Cutworm
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Synchlora frondariaSouthern Emerald
  • Tricholita notataX
  • Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
  • Trichordestra legitimaStriped Garden Caterpillar Moth
  • Udea rubigalisCelery Leaftier
  • Utetheisa ornatrixOrnate Moth, Pink Underwing, Rattlebox Moth, Bella Moth
  • Xanthotype urticariaFalse Crocus Geometer
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
  • Xestia smithiiSmith's Dart
  • Zale lunataLunate Zale
  • Anania mysippusalis
  • Astrotischeria solidagonifoliella
  • Bucculatrix solidaginiella
  • Dichomeris agonia
  • Epiblema desertana
  • Epiblema mandana
  • Epiblema obfuscana
  • Epiblema resumptana
  • Eucosma radiatana
  • Gnorimoschema salinaris
  • Hahncappsia marculenta
  • Hellinsia glenni
  • Hellinsia lacteodactylus
  • Helvibotys helvialis
  • Herpetogramma aquilonalis
  • Pelochrista vagana
  • Xenotemna pallorana
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
82BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Solidago

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
36Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Solidago

  • Andrena asteris
  • Andrena braccata
  • Andrena canadensis
  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Andrena fulvipennis
  • Andrena hirticincta
  • Andrena nubecula
  • Andrena placata
  • Andrena simplex
  • Calliopsis coloradensis
Show all 36
  • Colletes americanus
  • Colletes compactus
  • Colletes rufocinctus
  • Colletes simulans
  • Colletes solidaginis
  • Colletes speculiferus
  • Colletes thysanellae
  • Dianthidium simile
  • Megachile inimica
  • Megachile xylocopoides
  • Melissodes coreopsis
  • Melissodes dentiventris
  • Melissodes druriellus
  • Melissodes fumosus
  • Melissodes illatus
  • Melissodes niveus
  • Melissodes trinodis
  • Perdita boltoniae
  • Perdita bruneri
  • Perdita laticincta
  • Perdita octomaculata
  • Perdita swenki
  • Protandrena aestivalis
  • Protandrena andrenoides
  • Protandrena citripes
  • Protandrena compositarum
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
2BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
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
Asteraceae
Flower color
Yellow

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

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Forest Goldenrod; Woodland Goldenrod

Conservation status

Virginia rankS5
Global rankG5
VA statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

In your garden

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Sources