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Spotted Lady's-thumb

Persicaria maculosa

Found in disturbed areas. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

-55
Severe harm

Not native to West Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height
About 3.2 feet
Light
Partial shade, Full sun
Soil moisture
Dry to wet
See native alternatives

Do not plant. Listed invasive in West Virginia.

Plant this instead

Choose your county to list local plants first.

  • Wrinkle-leaf Goldenrod
    Solidago rugosa

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

    Different: flower color

  • Bearded Beggarticks
    Bidens aristosa

    Sun: Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

    Different: flower color

  • Devil's Beggarticks
    Bidens frondosa

    Sun: Part shade. Soil: Moist to wet. Flowers: Yellow.

    Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

Refine these alternatives in the finder

Check a whole list of plants

At a glance

Life cycle
Annual
Bloom
May to December
Fruiting season
Spring to fall

Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 11 West Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

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

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Also found with this plant

Wildlife whose habitat models include habitats this plant grows in, in West Virginia. Shared habitat, not food. 52 animals.

Widespread birds also seen here (35)

Found in many habitats here, so not listed above.

All wildlife of West Virginia

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

48CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including WV

Genus host records with ranges including WV · Polygonum

  • Achyra rantalisGarden Webworm Moth
  • Acronicta insularisHenry's Marsh Moth, Cattail Caterpillar
  • Acronicta oblinitaSmeared Dagger
  • Anaplectoides prasinaGreen Arches Dart
  • Anticlea multiferataMany-Lined Carpet
  • Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
  • Archips semiferanusOak Leafroller Moth
  • Calothysanis amaturariaCross-Lined Wave
  • Chionodes discoocellellaEyeringed Chionodes
Show all 48
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Coleophora cratipennellaStreaked Coleophora
  • Costaconvexa centrostrigariaBent-Lined Carpet
  • Dypterygia rozmaniAmerican Bird's-Wing
  • Elophila icciusalisPondside Pyralid, Pondside Crambid
  • Elophila obliteralisWaterlily Leafcutter Moth
  • Emmelina monodactylaMorning-Glory Plume Moth
  • Epiblema otiosanaBidens Borer Moth
  • Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
  • Euxoa tessellataTessellate Dart, Striped Cutworm
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Haematopis gratariaChickweed Geometer
  • Helicoverpa zeaCorn Earworm Moth
  • Homophoberia apicosaBlack Wedge-Spot, Smartweed Groundling
  • Hyles lineataWhite-Lined Sphinx
  • Hypena scabraGreen Cloverworm Bomolocha, Black Snout
  • Maliattha synochitisBlack-Dotted Lithacodia, Black-Dotted Glyph, Brass-Dotted Grass Moth
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Melanolophia canadariaCanadian Melanolphia, Variable Redmarked Looper
  • Metarranthis duariaRuddy Metarranthis
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Nomophila nearcticaLucerne Moth, American Celery Webworm
  • Orthonama obstipataThe Gem
  • Ostrinia obumbratalisSmartweed Borer
  • Ostrinia penitalisAmerican Lotus Borer, Lily Moth
  • Parapoynx obscuralisObscure Pondweed Moth
  • Prochoerodes lineolaLarge Maple Spanworm Moth
  • Pseudeustrotia carneolaPink-Barred Lithacodia, Pink-Barred Pseudeustrotia
  • Pyrrhia exprimensPurple-Lined Sallow, Purple-Lined Sun Moth
  • Saucrobotys futilalisDogbane Saucrobotys
  • Schinia spinosaeSpinose Flower Moth
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Strymon melinusGray Hairstreak
  • Tharsalea hyllusBronze Copper
  • Xanthorhoe ferrugataRed Twin-Spot, Twin-Spot Carpet
  • Xanthotype sospetaCrocus Geometer
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
—Specialist beesPollen specialists
16BirdsRecorded eating Persicaria in West Virginia

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Birds whose range includes West Virginia, most records first.

Show all 16
Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab)

Direct food only. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

Birds that eat Persicaria 16

Diet records by plant genus, from studies across North America. Not a record from this state. Avian Diet Database (Hurlbert Lab), CC0 1.0.

Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Polygonaceae
Flower color
Red
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
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
Also known as

Polygonum persicaria; Spotted Ladies Thumb; Spotted Lady's thumb; knotweed

Conservation status

West Virginia rankSNA
Global rankG3G5
WV statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources