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Black Ash

Fraxinus nigra

Found in seepage swamps and mountain streambanks, on calcareous or mafic substrates. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

73
Strong

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

Profile 94%

Height
50–65 feet
Spread
50–65 feet
Light
Full sun, Partial shade
Soil moisture
Usually moist

Space about 30 ft apart from its recorded spread. Enter your bed size for a count

Will it fit your yard?

Rare or protected plant. Specialist conservation planting; excluded from routine garden suggestions. Plant caution source

Hidden from default planting suggestions. Wildlife value and native status remain unchanged.

At a glance

Life cycle
Woody perennial
Leaves
Deciduous
Bloom
Early spring

Recorded in 6 West 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 3

Streams, rivers and their banks

Flowing water and its banks, bars and rocky shoals.

Seeps and springs

Places where groundwater keeps the soil or rock wet, such as seepage slopes and spring runs.

Swamps

Forested wetlands with standing water much of the year, such as cypress and gum swamps.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

136CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Fraxinus

  • Callosamia prometheaPromethea Moth
  • Papilio glaucusEastern Tiger Swallowtail
  • Abagrotis alternataGreater Red Dart, Mottled Grey Cutworm
  • Achatia distinctaDistinct Quaker
  • Acronicta americanaAmerican Dagger
  • Acronicta dolliDoll's Dagger
  • Acronicta impletaYellow-Haired Dagger
  • Acronicta interruptaInterrupted Dagger
  • Alsophila pometariaFall Cankerworm Moth
  • Amorbia humerosanaWhite-Lined Leafroller Moth
Show all 136
  • Amphipyra glabellaSmooth Amphipyra
  • Amphipyra pyramidoidesMiranda Underwing, Copper Underwing, Copper Amphipyra
  • Anavitrinella pampinariaCommon Gray, Cranberry Spanworm
  • Antaeotricha leucillanaWell-Marked Leaf Tier, Pale Gray Bird-Dropping Moth
  • Antheraea polyphemusPolyphemus Moth
  • Apatelodes torrefactaSpotted Apatelodes
  • Archips argyrospilaFruit-Tree Leafroller Moth
  • Archips cerasivoranaCherry Tent Caterpillar, Cherry Worm, Ugly Nest Caterpillar
  • Archips purpuranaOmnivorous Leafroller Moth
  • Archips semiferanusOak Leafroller Moth
  • Arogalea cristifasciellaStripe-Backed Moth, White Stripe-Backed Moth
  • Automeris ioIo Moth
  • Baileya dormitansSleeping Baileya
  • Biston betulariaSalt-and-Pepper Geometer, Cleft-Headed Looper
  • Campaea perlataPale Beauty, Fringed Looper
  • Catocala habilisHabilis Underwing
  • Catocala piatrixThe Penitent, Penitent Underwing
  • Cecrita guttivittaMaple Prominent, Saddled Prominent
  • Cenopis diluticostanaSpring Dead-Leaf Roller Moth, Oak Cenopis
  • Cenopis reticulatanaReticulated Fruitworm Moth
  • Ceratomia amyntorElm Sphinx
  • Ceratomia undulosaWaved Sphinx
  • Choristoneura rosaceanaOblique-Banded Leafroller Moth, Rosaceous Leaf Roller
  • Citheronia regalisRoyal Walnut Moth, Hickory Horned Devil
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Copivaleria groteiGrote's Sallow
  • Crocigrapha normaniNorman's Quaker
  • Datana ministraYellow-Necked Caterpillar Moth
  • Ectropis crepusculariaThe Small Engrailed, Saddleback Looper
  • Ennomos magnariaMaple Spanworm Moth, Notchwing Geometer
  • Ennomos subsignariaElm Spanworm Moth
  • Erannis tiliariaLinden Looper Moth, Western Winter Moth, Lime Looper
  • Euchlaena johnsonariaJohnson's Euchlaena
  • Euchlaena marginariaOchre Euchlaena
  • Euclea delphiniiSpiny Oak-Slug Moth
  • Euphydryas phaetonThe Baltimore, The Black Checker
  • Eutrapela clematariaCurved-Tooth Geometer, Purplish Brown Looper
  • Euzophera semifuneralisAmerican Plum Borer
  • Halysidota tessellarisBanded Tussock Moth, Pale Tiger Moth
  • Haploa colonaColona Moth
  • Harrisimemna trisignataHarris's Three-Spot
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypagyrtis unipunctataOne-Spotted Variant
  • Hyphantria cuneaFall Webworm
  • Iridopsis ephyrariaPale-Winged Gray
  • Iridopsis humariaSmall Purplish Gray
  • Iridopsis larvariaBent-Line Gray
  • Lambdina fervidariaCurve-Lined Looper Moth
  • Lithophane antennataAshen Pinion
  • Lithophane bethuneiBethune's Pinion
  • Lithophane innominataNameless Pinion
  • Lithophane laticinereaBroad Ashen Pinion, Russet Spotted Pinion, Triple-Spotted Pinion
  • Lithophane petulcaWanton Pinion
  • Lithophane querqueraShivering Pinion
  • Lomographa vestaliataWhite Spring Moth
  • Lophocampa caryaeHickory Tussock Moth, Hickory Tiger Moth
  • Lophocampa maculataSpotted Tussock Moth, Yellow-Spotted Tiger Moth
  • Lycia ypsilonWoolly Gray
  • Machimia tentoriferellaGold-Striped Leaftier Moth
  • Malacosoma americanaEastern Tent Caterpillar
  • Malacosoma disstriaForest Tent Caterpillar
  • Manduca jasminearumAsh Sphinx
  • Megalopyge opercularisSouthern Flannel Moth, Puss Caterpillar
  • Melanchra assimilisBlack Arches
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Melanolophia signatariaSignate Melanolphia
  • Metanema determinataDark Metanema
  • Morrisonia confusaConfused Woodgrain
  • Nadata gibbosaWhite-Dotted Prominent
  • Nematocampa resistariaFilament Bearer, Horned Spanworm Moth
  • Nemoria mimosariaWhite-Fringed Emerald
  • Nymphalis antiopaMourning Cloak
  • Oedemasia concinnaRed-Humped Caterpillar, Red-Humped Appleworm
  • Olceclostera angelicaThe Angel
  • Orgyia definitaDefinite Tussock Moth
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthosia garmaniGarman's Quaker
  • Orthosia hibisciSpeckled Green Fruitworm Moth, Speckled Green Quaker
  • Orthosia revictaSubdued Quaker
  • Orthotaenia undulanaDusky Leafroller
  • Paleacrita vernataSpring Cankerworm Moth
  • Palpita magniferalisSplendid Palpita
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Pandemis lamprosanaWoodgrain Leafroller
  • Paonias excaecataBlinded Sphinx, Blind Eyed Sphinx
  • Papaipema furcataAsh-Tip Borer
  • Papaipema nebrisStalk Borer
  • Papilio canadensisCanadian Tiger Swallowtail
  • Paranthrene asilipennisOak Stump Borer Moth, Oak Borer
  • Phaeoura quernariaOak Beauty Moth
  • Phigalia titeaThe Half-Wing Geometer, Spiney Looper, Eastern Oak Looper
  • Phobetron pitheciumHag Moth, Monkey Slug
  • Phragmatobia fuliginosaRuby Tiger Moth
  • Phyllodesma americanaLappet Moth, American Lappet Moth, Southern Lappet Moth
  • Plagodis fervidariaFervid Plagodis
  • Plagodis kuetzingiPurple Plagodis
  • Platynota idaeusalisTufted Apple-Bud Moth
  • Podosesia aureocinctaBanded Ash Clearwing
  • Podosesia syringaeLilac Borer Moth, Ash Borer
  • Prionoxystus macmurtreiLittle Carpenterworm, Lesser Oak Carpenter Worm
  • Prionoxystus robiniaeCarpenterworm Moth, Black Locust Borer, Cottonwood Borer
  • Probole alienariaDogwood Probole, Alien Probole
  • Probole amicariaFriendly Probole
  • Protoboarmia porcelariaPorcelain Gray, Dashedlined Looper
  • Psaphida styracisFawn Sallow
  • Rhopobota naevanaBlackheaded Fireworm, Holly Bud Moth, Holly Tortrix
  • Satyrium calanusBanded Hairstreak, Falacer Hairstreak
  • Satyrium caryaevorusHickory Hairstreak
  • Satyrium liparopsStriped Hairstreak
  • Schizura ipomaeaeMorning-Glory Prominent, Checkered-Fringe Prominent
  • Sericaglaea signataVariable Sallow
  • Sicya maculariaSharp-Lined Yellow
  • Smerinthus jamaicensisTwin-Spotted Sphinx
  • Sparganothis unifascianaOne-Lined Sparganothis
  • Sphinx chersisGreat Ash Sphinx
  • Sphinx franckiiFranck's Sphinx
  • Sphinx gordiusApple Sphinx
  • Sphinx kalmiaeFawn Sphinx, Laurel Sphinx
  • Spilosoma latipennisPink-Legged Tiger Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Sympistis chionanthiFringed-Tree Sallow, Grey O Moth
  • Tetracis cachexiataWhite Slant-Line
  • Thyridopteryx ephemeraeformisEvergreen Bagworm Moth
  • Tolype velledaLarge Tolype, Large Lappet Moth, Vellada Lappet Moth
  • Bucculatrix packardella
  • Eupithecia swettii
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
4BeesSoutheastern regional records

Southeastern regional records · Fraxinus

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
3BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

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

  • Coccothraustes vespertinusEvening Grosbeak
  • Ortalis vetulaPlain Chachalaca
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
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
Oleaceae
Hardiness
Zones 2a–9b
Soil pH
Acidic to alkaline
Growing sources and scope

Conservation status

West Virginia rankS1
Global rankNot available
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source

In your garden

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Sources