Table of Contents for Charlottesville, VA Viburnums
There are eleven species of native or nearly native Charlottesville, Virginia viburnums (Viburnum spp.) that can be grown for butterflies and other insects. Viburnums are an important host species for three butterflies, the Henry’s elfin, spring azure, and the Baltimore checkerspot, in Charlottesville. These plants are also an important nectar source to all insects visiting your pollinator garden and a food source for birds.
General Information about Native Plant and Pollinator Gardens
When planting a native plant and pollinator garden in Charlottesville, Virginia, you need to ensure that you have a selection of plants that provide blooms at different times of the year. Besides viburnums, other host plants that attract other butterflies and pollinators should be considered. These could include pawpaw (Asimina triloba) for zebra swallowtail, wild cherry (Prunus serotina) for eastern tiger swallowtails, and trumpet creeper (Campsis radicans) for hummingbirds.
In addition to the plants, you need to provide a source of water such as a birdbath or water feature, shelter for animals, and nesting locations for birds. Be sure to also include plants of different heights for perching. Resources you can use for more information on butterfly gardening in Charlottesville, VA include the Botanical Garden of the Piedmont, Cultivated Charlottesville, and the Albemarle County, VA native plant database.
Location of Charlottesville, Virginia
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Charlottesville, Virginia is located in central Virginia at the eastern end of the Blue Ridge mountains.
USDA Plant Hardiness Zones in Charlottesville, Virginia
Charlottesville, Virginia is located within plant hardiness zone 7b. Between 2012 and 2023, the zone changed from 7a to 7b. When selecting plants in Charlottesville, you will want to get those that can handle temperatures as cold as 50F.
Butterflies in Charlottesville, Virginia that are Hosted by Viburnums (Viburnum spp.)
observed in United States of America
by izzykracken (licensed under CC0 1.0)
Henry’s Elfin (Callophrys henrici)
The Henry’s elfin has a dark brown upperside and an underside that is two-toned brown. As an adult it is a small butterfly with a wingspan of 0.8 in (2.0 cm) to 1.0 in (2.5 cm).
The light green eggs are laid on the leaves of the host plant. The larva hatch from a orange-brown pupa and range from greenish-yellow to red-brown in color. This species has one brood a year.
Holly Blue (Celastrina argiolus)
The holly blue is slvery blue in color with ivory dots on the upperside and a silvery-white underside. Adults have a wingspan of 1.4 in (3.6 cm) to 3.5 in (8.9 cm).
The whitish eggs are laid on the host plant and they have green or brown larvae. This species can have up to three broods throughout the growing season.
Spring Azure (Celastrina ladon)
The Spring Azure is a silvery metallic blue on the upperside and has a silvery underside. Females, unlike the males, have a black margin on the wings. A fully grown adult has a wingspan of 0.87 in (2.2 cm) and 1.38 in (3.5 cm).
The whitish eggs are laid on the flower buds of host plants. Several broods a year, more in the south and less in the north, can produce green colored larvae with brown accents.
Baltimore Checkerspot (Euphydryas phaeton)
The Baltimore Checkerspot is a white, orange, and black speckled butterfly. It is a common butterfly of the eastern United States and southern Canada. Adults have a wingspan of 1.6 in (4.1 cm) to 2.5 in (6.4 cm).
The eggs of this species are yellow and become a reddish-tan color with age (wildadirondacks.org). The larva are black with orange stripes (Pyle 1981) and have one brood that flies from May to July. Its name comes from its resemblance to the crest of the Lord Baltimore (Pyle 1981).
List of Viburnums that are Native or Nearly Native in Charlottesville, Virginia
1. Maple-leaf Viburnum (Viburnum acerifolium), a Viburnum for Dry to Moist Well-drained Soils
Maple-leaf viburnum is found rich forests, woodlands, and woodland thickets in dry to moist well-drained soils that are slightly acidic. The plants should get about 4-6 hours of direct sunlight each day. During dry spells, the plants shoud be watered and a layer of mulch should be laid to help suppress weeds. Suitable companion plants for this species include butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum), and swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata).
Facts about Maple-leaf Viburnum
- Native to Virginia: Yes, generally northwestern counties and scattered in south (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: Yes
- Natural Habitat: Rich forests, woodlands, and woodland thickets that have medium to dry soils.
- Height: 3 ft (0.9 m) to 6 ft (1.8 m)
- Flower Color: cream to white
- Flowering Period: June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8
Gardening with Maple-leaf Viburnum
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden this species requires part-shade or dappled sunlight and dry to moist soils that are well-drained. This plant can handle full sun conditions in a garden setting, but does best in shaded conditions. In Charlottesville, this species is near the upper limit of its hardiness and could suffer heat stress in the future.
2. Bracted Viburnum (Viburnum bracteatum), a Viburnum for Medium to Moist Well-drained Soils
Bracted viburnum, in the wild, is found in open wooded areas where it can get full sun to part shade conditions. It prefers medium to moist well-soils that are slightly acidic. To feature this plant in your garden, plant it in the center with the companion plants surrounding it in the center. When selecting companions try to get plants that match the white flowers of the viburnum. Some possible plants to choose are similar to those of the maple-leaf viburnum. Be sure to have a variety of nectar plants that bloom throughout the season in order to provide sustenance to the insects.
Facts about Bracted Viburnum
- Native to Virginia: No (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: No
- Natural Habitat: open wooded areas
- Height: 6 ft (1.8 m) to 10 ft (3.0 m)
- Flower Color: cream to white
- Flowering Period: May to June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 6-8
Gardening with Bracted Viburnum
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden this viburnum requires full sun to part-shade medium to moist soils that are well-drained. In Charlottesville, this species is near the upper limit of its hardiness. As a result it may experience heat stress in the future from climate change warming.
3. Southern Arrow-wood (Viburnum dentatum), a Viburnum for Medium to Moist Well-drained Soils
Southern arrow-wood is so named for the straight stems that used to be made into arrows by the Native Americans. This shrub can reach a height of 15 feet and has white flowers. Soils should be medium to moist and well-drained with a full sun to part shade exposure. In the fall the blue berries are enjoyed by birds. Suitable companion plants include those previously mentioned plus coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), beebalm (Monarda didyma), and blazing star (Liatris spicata). Additional boulders can be provided to give resting places for butterflies.
Facts about Southern Arrow-wood
Viburnum dentatum var. dentatum in Virginia
- Native to Virginia: Yes (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: Yes
- Natural Habitat: Rich forests, woodlands, floodplains, and wetlands
- Height: 5 ft (1.5 m) to 15 ft (4.6 m)
- Flower Color: cream to white
- Flowering Period: March to June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-8
Gardening with Southern Arrow-wood
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this species requires full sun to part-shade and medium to moist well-drained soils. In a garden situation, it can handle drier soils (Flemer 1984). This shrub has brilliant color in the fall, which gives added value to your garden. Since this species can exist in much cooler climates and is at the upper limit of its hardiness, it may experience heat stress in the future.
4. Nanny-Berry (Viburnum lentago), a Viburnum for Medium to Moist Well-drained Soils
Nanny-Berry in the wild grows wooded wet areas and grows from 15 to 18 feet tall. In a garden situation it requires medium to moist soils and full sun to part shade. Companion plants should be chosen to provide a color tapestry and enhance the feeding opportunities provided by this shrub. Suitable plants with nanny-berry include New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae), obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), wild indigo (Baptisia australis), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis). A variety of goldenrods (Solidago spp.) can be provided for autumn nectaring.
Facts about Nanny-Berry
- Native to Virginia: Yes, historic to Virginia (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: No
- Natural Habitat: Rich woods that are moist, stream banks (King 1912), swamps, roadsides (Arnold Arboretum 1919), wood edges (Mohlenbrock 1954), thickets (McCormac and Schneider 1994)
- Height: 15 ft (4.5 m) to 18 ft (5.5 m)
- Flower Color: cream to white
- Flowering Period: May to June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-8
Gardening with Nanny-Berry
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this viburnum requires full sun to part-shade and medium to moist well-drained soils. This species is near the upper limit of its hardiness in Charlottesville and may experience heat stress in future due to climate change induced warming.
5. Soft-leaf Arrow-wood (Viburnum molle), a Viburnum for Moist to Dry Well-drained high-pH Soils
Soft-leaf arrow-wood, in the wild, grows on rocky bluffs and bottomlands. It can get a height of 6-12 feet high and white blossoms in the spring with blue drupes in the autumns, which are loved by birds. Suitable companion plants in the Charlottesville area include mountain mint (Pycnanthemum tenuifolium), alum-root (Heuchera spp.), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Virginia bluebell (Mertensia virginica), and woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata).
Facts about Soft-leaf Arrow-wood
- Native to Virginia: No (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: No
- Natural Habitat: Rocky bluff forests on calcareous substrate and bottomlands (wikipedia).
- Height: 6 ft (1.8 m) to 12 ft (3.7 m)
- Flower Color: cream to white
- Flowering Period: May to June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 2-8
Gardening with Soft-leaf Arrow-wood
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this viburnum requires full sun to part-shade and moist to dry well-drained high pH soils. This species is near the upper limit of its hardiness zone and may experience heat stress in the future.
6. Possumhaw (Viburnum nudum), a Viburnum for Medium to Wet Well-drained Soils
Possumhaw, in the wild, grows in wetland areas and reaches a height of up to 15 feet. The snowball shaped white flowers come out in May and it has a blue-black drupe in the fall that is enjoyed by birds. The leaves also have an attractive red color in the fall. Suitable companion plants in the Charlottesville area include aromatic aster (Symphyotrichum oblongifolium), thread-leaved coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata), eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis), oakleaf hydrangea (Hydrangea quercifolia), and Pennsylvania sedge (Carex pensylvanica).
Facts about Possumhaw
Viburnum nudum var. cassinoides and Viburnum nudum var. nudum in Virginia
- Native to Virginia: Yes, throughout (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: Yes
- Natural Habitat: Swamps (wikipedia), seepage swamps (Belden and Derge 2003 and Sundell, et al 1999), and bogs (MacRoberts, et al 2004)
- Height: 5 ft (1.5 m) to 15 ft (4.6 m)
- Flower Color: white to cream
- Flowering Period: April to June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-9
Gardening with Possumhaw
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this species requires full sun to partial shade and medium to wet well-drained soils.
7. Small-leaf Arrow-wood (Viburnum obovatum), a Viburnum for Medium Well-drained Soils
Small-leaf arrow-wood grows in mesic woodlands and in a garden setting with ideal conditions can reach a height of 30 feet. However, generally it is shorter. Like a number of other viburnums, it has white flowers and blue-black drupes that are eatern by birds. Possible companion plants include rose mallow (Hibiscus coccineus), blazing star (Liatris spicata), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia fulgida), Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica), and coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens).
Facts about Small-leaf Arrow-wood
- Native to Virginia: No (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: No
- Natural Habitat: disturbed mesic woodlands (Anderson 2007)
- Height: 10 ft (3.0 m) to 30 ft (9.1 m)
- Flower Color: white
- Flowering Period: March to April
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 6-10
Gardening with Small-leaf Arrow-wood
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this viburnum requires full sun to partial shade and medium well-drained soils.
8. Smooth Blackhaw (Viburnum prunifolium), a Viburnum for All Soils
Smooth blackhaw is generally found in disturbed habitats and like the small-leaf viburnum can greatly exceed the height its wild counterparts in an ideal garden setting, growing up to 30 feet. It also has white flowers and reddish-purple drupe in the fall that is loved by birds. Companion plants that provide a good color contrast include butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), and joe-pye weed (Eutrochium fistulosum).
Facts about Smooth Blackhaw
- Native to Virginia: Yes, throughout (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: Yes
- Natural Habitat: Open areas, upland woods, floodplains (Gaddy 2008), disturbed habitats (Clark and Bauer 2001), thickets (Fernald 1936)
- Height: 7 ft (2.1 m) to 30 ft (9.1 m)
- Flower Color: White
- Flowering Period: May to June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-9
Gardening with Smooth Blackhaw
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this Viburnum needs full sun to part-shade and dry to moist well-drained soils.
9. Downy Arrow-wood (Viburnum rafinesquianum), a Viburnum for Dry Well-drained Soils
Downy arrow-wood is found in woodland areas in the wild and is noted for its fall foliage, which is a bronze-purple color. Growing up to 10 feet tall it has white to cream flowers and a blue-black drupe, loved by birds. Possible companion plants in the Charlottesville area include New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis), blazing star (Liatris spicata), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), obedient plant (Physostegia virgniana), and columbine (Aquilegia canadensis).
Facts about Downy Arrow-wood
- Native to Virginia: Yes, central and western counties (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: Yes
- Natural Habitat: open woodlands, rocky hillside (Reaume 2009), rocky shorelines (Rousseau 1974), limestone savanna (Alvar) (Catling and Brownell 1995), dry thickets (Maycock and Eahselt (1997), and low woodlands (Fernald 1942)
- Height: 6 ft (1.8 m) to 10 ft (3 m)
- Flower Color: white to cream
- Flowering Period: May to June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 3-8
Gardening with Downy Arrow-wood
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this viburnum needs full sun to part shade and dry well-drained soils. This species is noted for its bronze-purple foliage in the fall (Koller 1981). This species may experience heat stress in the future, being at the upper limit of its hardiness zone.
10. Smooth Arrow-wood (Viburnum recognitum), a Viburnum for Medium to Moist Well-drained Soils
Smooth arrow-wood can found in wetland areas and woodlands in the wild. Growing up to 15 feet tall, this species has white flowers and drupes that are loved by birds in the fall. Suitable companion plants include blazing star (Liatris spicata), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), cardinal flower (Lobelia cardinalis), and spotted Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium maculatum).
by Bill Keim (licensed under CC BY 4.0).
Facts about Smooth Arrow-wood
- Native to Virginia: Yes, central and western counties (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: No
- Natural Habitat: swamps (Dugal 1988), damp thickets (Roedner, et al 1978), thickets (Palmer 1974), secondary dunes and seasonal ponds (Lortie, et al 1991), and mesic woodland forest (Larimore, et al 2008)
- Height: 5 ft (1.5 m) to 15 ft (4.6 m)
- Flower Color: white or rarely pink (Roedner, et al 1978)
- Flowering Period: March to June
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 4-9
Gardening with Smooth Arrow-wood
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this viburnum needs full sun to part shade and moist to medium well-drained soils.
11. Rusty Blackhaw (Viburnum rufidulum), a Viburnum for Medium to Dry Soils
Rusty blackhaw is generally found in drier woodlands in the wild. Growing up to 20 feet tall, it has white flowers and blue-black drupes in the autumn. Companion plants that complement it include butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), black-eyed susan (Rudbeckia hirta), sweet Joe-Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum), and purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea).
Facts about Rusty Blackhaw
- Native to Virginia: Yes, scattered throughout (Kartesz 2015)
- Native to Charlottesville: No
- Natural Habitat: rocky or dry woods (Steyermark 1940), limestone (Thompson, et al 2005), cedar barrens (Carr 1944), oak-hickory woodlands (Wofford, et al 1979), calcareous prairies (MacRoberts and MacRoberts 1996), and disturbed habitats (Clark and Bauer 2001)
- Height: 10 ft (3.0 m) to 20 ft (6.1 m)
- Flower Color: white to cream
- Flowering Period: April to May
- USDA Hardiness Zone: 5-9
Gardening with Rusty Blackhaw
In your Charlottesville, Virginia butterfly garden, this viburnum needs full sun to part shade and dry to medium well-drained soils. This plant can handle poor soils making it versatile for most garden situations.
When selecting your Charlottesville, Virginia viburnum, be sure to make sure that it grows in your zone and habitat.
Books where you can find out more about Butterfly Gardening in Charlottesville, Virginia
- Daniels, Jaret C. 2021. Butterflies of the South & Southeast – Your Way to Easily Identify Butterflies – Adventure Quick Guides. Adventure Publications.22 pp.
- Daniels, Jaret C. 2021. Garden Bugs & Insects of the South & Southeast – Identify Pollinators, Pests, and Other Garden Visitors – Adventure Quick Guides. Adventure Publications. 36 pp.
- Daniels, Jaret C. 2021. Native Plant Gardening for Birds, Bees & Butterflies. Southeast – Nature Friendly Gardens. Adventure Publications. 276 pp.
- Frick-Ruppert, Jennifer. 2010. Mountain Nature – A Seasonal Natural History of the Southern Appalachians. The University of North Carolina Press. 224 pp.
- Hughes, Tracey Y. and Eddie R. Hughes. 2013. Virginia Flowers. Deep Sea Publishing. 52 pp.
- LeGrand, Harry, Derb Carter, Jr., Jeff Pippen, and Pierre Howard. 2024. Butterflies of North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and Georgia. The University of North Carolina Press. 448 pp. (will be published in June 2024)
- Mellichamp, Larry, Paula Gross, and Will Stuart. 2020. The Southeast Native Plant Primer – 225 Plants for an Earth-Friendly Garden. Timber Press. 256 pp.
Affiliate Disclosure: When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this site can earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Affiliate programs include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network and Blackwell’s Books.
References for Charlottesville, Virginia Viburnums
- Arnold Arboretum. 1919. Viburnum lentago. Bulletin of Popular Information. 5 (7): 28.
- Belden, Allen and Katherine L. Derge. 2003. The flora and fauna of Virginia Army National Guard OMS No. 1 and No. 2 near Sandston, Henrico County, Virginia. Banisteria 22: 22-42.
- Bouchard, Andre’, Denis Barabe’, Madeliene Dumais, and Stuart Hay. 1983. The Rare Vascular Plants of Quebec. (Ottawa, ON: National Museum of Natural Sciences).
- Catling, Paul M. anf Vivian R. Brownell. 1995. A review of the Great Lakes Region: Distribution, floristic comparison, biogeography, and protection. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 109 (2): 143-171.
- Carr, Lloyd G. 1944. A New Species of Houstonia from the Cedar Barrens of Lee County, Virginia. Rhodora 46: 306-310.
- Clark, Ross C. and Ryan M. Bauer. 2001. Woody Plants of Six Northern Kentucky Counties. Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science 62(1): 39-51.
- Dugal, Albert W. 1988. Southern Arrow-wood, Viburnum recognitum, A Rare Ontario Species in the Ottawa District. Trail & Landscape 22 (4): 151-155.
- Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1942. The Seventh Century of additions to the flora of Virginia. Rhodora 44: 457-479.
- Fernald, Merritt Lyndon. 1936. Plants from the Outer Coastal Plain of Virginia (continued). Rhodora 38: 414-452.
- Gaddy, L.L. 2008. A New Sessile-Flowered Trillium (Liliaceae: Subgenus Phyllantherum) from South Carolina. Phytologia 90 (3): 382-390.
- Kartesz, J.T. The Biota of North America Program (BONAP). 2015. Taxonomic Data Center (BONAP). Chapel Hill, N.C. [maps generated from Kartesz, J.T. 2015. Floristic Synthesis of North America, Version 1.0. Biota of North America Program (BONAP). (in press)].
- King, Wilbur. 1912. The Flora of Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Torreya 12: 208-215.
- Koller, Gary. 1981. Shrubs for Hillsides and Embankments. Arnoldia 41: 193.
- Larrimore, Richard L., Loy R. Phillippe, and John E. Ebinger. 2008. Vascular Flora of Middle Fork Woods Nature Preserve, Vermillion County, Illinois. Illinois Natural History Survey Bulletin 38, article 4.
- Lortie, J.P., Bruce A. Sorrie, D.W. Holt. 1991. Flora of the Montgomery Islands Chatham, Massachusetts. Rhodora 93: 361-389.
- MacRoberts, Michael H., Barbara R. MacRoberts, and Lynn Stacey Johnson. 2004. Observations of Parnassia grandifolia DC. (Saxifragaceae) in the West Gulf Coast Plain. Phytologia 86: 98-103.
- MacRoberts, Barbara R. and Michael H. MacRoberts. 1996. The floristics of calcareous prairies on the Kisatchie National Forest, Louisiana. Phytologia 81: 35-43.
- Maycock, Paul F. and Dianne Eahselt. 1997. An inventory of ecologically significant natural vegetation in the province of Ontario: 1. Essex County. The Canadian Field-Naturalist 101: 474-486.
- McCormac, J.S. and G.J. Schneider. 1994. Floristic Diversity of a Disturbed Western Ohio Fen. Rhodora 96: 327-353.
- Mohlenbrock, R.H. 1954. Some notes on the flora of Southern Illinois. Rhodora 56: 227-228.
- Palmer, Ernest J. 1947. Second supplement to the spontaneous Flora of the Arnold Arboretum. Journal of the Arnold Arboretum 28: 410-418.
- Reaume, Tom. 2009. Biology of the Downy Arrow-wood (Viburnum rafinesquianum). Blue Jay 67 (2): 89-96.
- Roedner, Beverly J., David A. Hamilton, Keith E. Evans. 1978. Rare Plants of the Ozark Plateau: a field identification guide. USDA: North Central Forest Expriment Station.
- Rousseau, C. 1974. Ge’ographie floristique de Que’bec/Labrador. Distritbution des principales especes vascularies. Les Presses de of I’Unversitie Laval. Quebec 799 pp. in (Bouchard, et al 1983).
- Steyermark, Julian. 1940. Studies of the vegetation of Missouri – I. Natural Plant Associations and Succession in the Ozarks of Missouri. Botanical Series Field Museum of Natural History 9(5): Publication 485.
- Sundell, Eric, Thomas R. Dale, Carl Amason, Robert L. Stuckey, and John Logan. 1999. Noteworthy Vascular Plants from Arkansas. Sida 18: 877-887.
- Thompson, Ralph L., J. Richard Abbott, Andrew E. Shupe. 2005. Vascular Flora from Five Plant Habitats of an Abandoned Limestone Quarry in Clark County, Kentucky. Journal of the Kentucky Academy of Science 66 (1): 24-34.
- Wofford, Eugene B., Thomas S. Patrick, Loy R. Phillippe, David H. Webb. 1979. The Vascular Flora of Savage Gulf, Tennessee. Sida 8: 135-151.
