Quaking Aspen

Populus tremuloides

Taxonomy

Division:: Magnoliophyta | - Flowering plants
Family:: Salicaceae
Genus:: Populus
Species:: Populus tremuloides

Growth Characteristics

Life Cycle:: Perennial
Growth Habit:: Tree
Height:: More than 40 ft
Light Requirements:: Full Sun, Part Shade, Shade
Drought Tolerance:: High
Bloom Months:: mar, apr, may, jun
Bloom Colors:: Yellow, Green, Brown

Native Range

United States: Alaska, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming, Canada: Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Northwest Territories, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon

Keystone Species Ranking

Caterpillar Keystone:: ★☆☆☆☆ Based on number of butterfly and moth species using this genus as host plant (Source: National Wildlife Federation)

Host Plant for Caterpillars

Acleris fuscana, Acleris hudsoniana, Acronicta auricoma, Acronicta dactylina, Acronicta noctivaga, American Dagger Moth (Acronicta americana), American hornet moth (Sesia tibialis), American lappet moth (Phyllodesma americana), Anacampsis niveopulvella, Anathix puta, Angle-lined Prominent (Clostera inclusa), Apotomis deceptana, Autumnal moth (Epirrita autumnata), Bethune's Pinion (Lithophane bethunei), Big Poplar Sphinx (Pachysphinx occidentalis), Black-etched Prominent (Cerura scitiscripta), Black-rimmed Prominent (Pheosia rimosa), Blinded Sphinx (Paonias excaecata), Brachylomia algens, Briseis Underwing (Catocala briseis), Bruce spanworm (Operophtera bruceata), Bruce's prominent moth (Clostera brucei), Buck Moth (Hemileuca maia), Caloptilia stigmatella, Carpenterworm Moth (Prionoxystus robiniae), Cecropia moth (Hyalophora cecropia), Cherry Casebearer Moth (Coleophora pruniella), Clematis Sphinx (Sphinx luscitiosa), Clostera apicalis, Colocasia propinquilinea, common aspen leafminer (Phyllocnistis populiella), Confused Haploa (Haploa confusa), Copper Underwing (Amphipyra pyramidoides), crispate flannel moth (Megalopyge crispata), Crocus Geometer (Xanthotype sospeta), dappled gray (Glena cribrataria), dark-headed aspen leafroller moth (Anacampsis innocuella), Definite Tussock Moth (Orgyia definita), Dichomeris ligulella, dowdy pinion (Lithophane unimoda), duplex moth (Pseudosciaphila duplex), Eastern Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma americana), Egira dolosa, Elegant prominent (Odontosia elegans), Elegant Sheep Moth (Hemileuca eglanterina), Enargia infumata, Epinotia criddleana, Epinotia nisella, Eupithecia ravocostaliata, fall cankerworm (Alsophila pometaria), Fall webworm (Hyphantria cunea), false pinion (Litholomia napaea), Filatima pravinominella, Forest Tent Caterpillar (Malacosoma disstria), Forked Euchlaena Moth (Euchlaena tigrinaria), four-spotted gluphisia (Gluphisia avimacula), fruit-tree leafroller (Archips argyrospila), Furcula scolopendrina, Garden Tiger Moth (Arctia caja), Gluphisia septentrionis, Goldilocks moth (Lithomoia solidaginis), grand spiramater moth (Spiramater grandis), Gray Furcula (Furcula cinerea), gray lichen looper (Lobophora nivigerata), Great Ash Sphinx (Sphinx chersis), Great Brocade (Eurois occulta), Green Cloverworm Moth (Hypena scabra), Green-patched Looper (Diachrysia balluca), Gypsonoma substitutionis, Gypsy moth (Lymantria dispar), hag moth (Phobetron pithecium), Hare-Lip Dagger Moth (Acronicta lepusculina), Herald (Scoliopteryx libatrix), hibiscus Quaker (Orthosia hibisci), Homoglaea hircina, impressed dagger moth (Acronicta impressa), Intermediate Hooded Owlet (Cucullia intermedia), Io moth (Automeris io), Ipimorpha pleonectusa, Itame brunneata, Itame occiduaria, Lace-winged zale (Zale minerea), Large aspen tortrix (Choristoneura conflictana), large looper moth (Autographa ampla), Large Tolype (Tolype velleda), Lintner's gluphisia moth (Gluphisia lintneri), Lobophora magnoliatoidata, Lobophora montanata, Luna moth (Actias luna), Lunate Heterocampa (Heterocampa lunata), Lycia rachelae, Maple spanworm (Ennomos magnaria), maple-basswood leafroller (Sparganothis pettitana), Meroptera pravella, modest furcula (Furcula modesta), Modest Sphinx (Pachysphinx modesta), Mother Underwing (Catocala parta), Nameless Pinion (Lithophane innominata), Nevada buck moth (Hemileuca nevadensis), Nevada buckmoth (Hemileuca nevadensis-complex), Nites betulella, Norman's Quaker (Crocigrapha normani), Notodonta scitipennis, Obliquebanded leafroller (Choristoneura rosaceana), Olethreutes glaciana, Once-married Underwing (Catocala unijuga), One-eyed sphinx (Smerinthus cerisyi), One-spotted variant moth (Hypagyrtis unipunctata), Orthosia revicta, Orthotaenia undulana, Pale Brindled Beauty (Leucobrephos brephoides), Pale Enargia (Enargia decolor), Pandora moth (Coloradia pandora), Papestra cristifera, Phyllonorycter ontario, Phyllonorycter salicifoliella, Phyllonorycter tremuloidiella, Pococera nr. asperatella, poplar carpenterworm (Acossus centerensis), poplar leafminer (Phyllonorycter populiella), poplar leafminer moth (Caloptilia populiella), poplar tortricid moth (Cydia populana), Porcelain Gray (Protoboarmia porcelaria), Portland Phosphila (Pheosia portlandia), Protitame matilda, Protitame virginalis, Pseudexentera oregonana, Pseudexentera sp., Raphia frater, Red-humped caterpillar moth (Schizura concinna), Red-shouldered dagger moth (Acronicta rubricoma), Red-washed Prominent (Oligocentria semirufescens), reflexella leafroller moth (Psilocorsis reflexella), Rhuda dimidiata, Ruby Quaker (Orthosia rubescens), Rusty Tussock Moth (Orgyia antiqua), Semioscopis inornata, Semiothisa ulsterata, Sidus sallow (Eupsilia sidus), Sigmoid Prominent (Clostera albosigma), simplaria prominent moth (Notodonta simplaria), singed pinion (Lithophane semiusta), sleeping underwing (Catocala concumbens), Spiramater lutra, Spotted Tussock Moth (Lophocampa maculata), Streaked Salt Marsh Moth (Platarctia parthenos), Striped Clostera (Clostera strigosa), striped epirranthis moth (Epirranthis substriataria), Sweetheart Underwing (Catocala amatrix), Syngrapha epigaea, three-lined leafroller (Pandemis limitata), Three-spotted sallow (Eupsilia tristigmata), Twin-spotted sphinx (Smerinthus jamaicensis), Ufeus plicatus, Ufeus satyricus, Unmarked dagger moth (Acronicta innotata), Variable Tussock Moth (Dasychira vagans), Virginia Tiger Moth (Spilosoma virginica), Wanton Pinion (Lithophane petulca), Western tent caterpillar (Malacosoma californica), wheatear sallow (Lithophane fagina), White Satin Moth (Leucoma salicis), white triangle tortrix (Clepsis persicana), White Underwing (Catocala relicta), White-dotted Prominent (Nadata gibbosa), White-marked Tussock Moth (Orgyia leucostigma), woodland leafroller (Pandemis lamprosana), Xylena curvimacula, Yellow-lined Thorn (Metanema inatomaria), Yellownecked caterpillar (Datana ministra), Compton Tortoiseshell (Nymphalis vau-album), Dreamy Duskywing (Erynnis icelus), Eastern Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio glaucus), Green Comma (Polygonia faunus), Lorquin's admiral (Basilarchia lorquini), Mourning Cloak (Nymphalis antiopa), ⚠️Persius duskywing (Erynnis persius), Red-spotted Purple (Basilarchia arthemis), Striped Hairstreak (Satyrium liparops), Weidemeyer's Admiral (Basilarchia weidemeyerii), Western Tiger Swallowtail (Papilio rutulus)

Soil Requirements

Soil Type:: rich, well-drained loamy soil
pH:: 5.5 - 7.5 (slightly acidic to neutral)
Drainage:: excellent drainage required
Moisture:: consistently moist
Notes:: thrives in nutrient-rich environments

Germination Information

Pre-treatment: For seeds, none required. For root cuttings, cut into 10-20 cm sections, seal ends with paraffin, and place in a 2-minute Domain fungicide bath. Root sections are then placed in a mist bed with bottom heat set at 21C until shoots emerge and are 5 cm tall. Shoots are excised and treated with 2000 ppm IBA rooting hormone powder before sticking shoot cuttings in the mist bed with bottom heat set at 21C for 8 weeks.

Establishment: Germination begins 24 to 48 hours after sowing. True leaves appear 2 weeks after germination. Seedlings are thinned at this stage. Seedlings are started from smaller container seedlings (20 cubic inch and smaller).

Source: npn.rngr.net