Your observations · Field Ledger

Showing 2 of 2 identificationsOne card per identification. Latest observed sighting matching this filter on the front; more photos on the back. Unidentified sightings stay separate.

Rarity by worldwide iNaturalist sightings

Common 10,000+
Uncommon 1,000–9,999
Rare Under 1,000

How often an identification is recorded; local abundance can differ.

Field LedgerFlora

river birch

Betula nigra

RIV-er BURCH

Life cyclePerennial↗

CommonCasual

Edible1/3
Toxic0/3
Native3/3
Utility3/3
Ecology3/3
Allergy3/3

Effects & relationships

For you: Rain-garden workhorse. Native wet-ground tree used for erosion control, furniture, basket hoops, fuel, and small wooden goods.↗
Around you: Riverbank pantry. Leaves host butterfly larvae; seeds and catkins feed birds and rodents, while deer browse young growth.↗
Watch for: Major spring allergen. Windborne birch pollen is a strong allergy source and can be involved in pollen-food cross-reactions.↗

Observed: Sep 16, 2026

Local field profile

river birch

RIV-er BURCH

Betula nigra

Marsh Cir, Loveland, OH, US

More of your photos (2)

From this observation and others with the same identification. Tap to view on iNaturalist.

Betula nigra: Shoot with alternate, ovate, toothed leaves. — **Leaf reference**Betula nigra. Leaves.Photo: Kathleen Moore · CC BY 2.0 · NC State Extension

Life cycle: Perennial. Perennial plants live for more than two years. Perennial does not guarantee winter survival in every climate.NC State
For people: It is widely planted in rain gardens and wet landscapes; its close-grained wood has served for fuel, furniture, basket hoops, toys, and other small objects.NC State USFS NIH UVM
Human history & craft: River birch wood has supplied fuel, basket hoops, inexpensive furniture, toys, and small woodenware; its sap has also been fermented into birch beer. Today the tree is especially useful for wet-site landscaping and erosion control.NC State USFS
Indigenous knowledge & use: University of Vermont ethnobotanical notes record Catawba use of boiled river-birch buds for ringworm and sores, Cherokee use of leaves or bark preparations for digestive, cold, and urinary complaints, and Muscogee (Creek) use connected with tuberculosis. These are distinct historical records, not universal Indigenous practice or treatment advice.UVM
Medicinal history: Catawba, Cherokee, and Muscogee (Creek) records describe distinct historical preparations of buds, leaves, or bark. These accounts document cultural history, not evidence that home remedies are safe or effective.NC State USFS NIH UVM
For the ecosystem: Seeds and catkins feed birds and rodents, twigs and foliage are browsed by deer, and the leaves host mourning cloak and dreamy duskywing caterpillars.NC State USFS NIH UVM
Attracts & supports: Mourning cloak
Dreamy duskywing
Grouse and wild turkey
Songbirds and rodents
White-tailed deer
Bottomland wildlife
Caterpillars feed on foliage, birds and rodents take seeds and catkins, deer browse young growth, and the floodplain tree contributes cover and nesting structure.NC State USFS NIH UVM
Fun fact: Unlike most birches, river birch ripens and sheds its tiny winged seeds in late spring or early summer rather than in autumn.NC State USFS NIH UVM

EdibilityLimited traditional use
The sap has been fermented into birch beer and concentrated as a sweetener, but this tree is not a routine food source and should not be damaged for casual sampling.NC State USFS NIH UVM
ToxicityLow documented risk
River birch is not classed as a major human poison; that does not make unidentified bark, leaves, or preparations appropriate to ingest.NC State USFS NIH UVM
Native statusNative locally
Native to the central and eastern United States, including Ohio, especially along streams, floodplains, and other wet ground.NC State USFS NIH UVM
Material utilityMany practical uses
Useful for erosion control, stormwater planting, fuel, small wooden goods, basket hoops, toys, and historically birch beverages.NC State USFS NIH UVM
Ecological valueHigh habitat value
Feeds caterpillars, birds, rodents, and browsing mammals while adding cover and structure to rich bottomland habitat.NC State USFS NIH UVM
Allergen potentialImportant pollen allergen
Birches release abundant windborne spring pollen; Betula pollen is a major respiratory allergen source and can be involved in pollen-food cross-reactions.NC State USFS NIH UVM

Field LedgerFlora

hardy begonia

Begonia grandis

HAR-dee bih-GOH-nee-uh

Life cyclePerennial↗

UncommonCasual

Edible0/3
Toxic1/3
Native0/3
Utility1/3
Ecology1/3
Allergy1/3

Effects & relationships

Watch for: Oxalate caution. Plant compounds can irritate mouths and digestion; pets are a particular concern.↗
For you: Shade-garden color. Late flowers and cold tolerance give this ornamental a place in shade gardens.↗
Around you: Some nectar, fewer ties. Flowers can feed pollinators, but this nonnative has fewer established local relationships than native shade plants.↗

Observed: Sep 9, 2026

Local field profile

hardy begonia

HAR-dee bih-GOH-nee-uh

Begonia grandis

Marsh Cir, Loveland, OH, US

Life cycle: Perennial. Perennial plants live for more than two years. Perennial does not guarantee winter survival in every climate.NC State
For people: It brings late flowers to shade gardens and survives colder winters than most begonias, but should not be treated as food.NC State
Human history & craft: Famous among gardeners as one of the rare begonias able to overwinter outdoors in temperate climates.NC State
Medicinal history: Begonias occur in traditional remedies in parts of Asia, but species, preparation, and evidence vary; oxalates make self-treatment inappropriate.NC State
For the ecosystem: Flowers can serve pollinators, though as a nonnative ornamental it has fewer established local relationships than native shade plants.NC State
Attracts & supports: Bees
Other small pollinators
Shade-garden invertebrates
Flowers offer pollen to generalist insects, but this East Asian ornamental has few documented specialist relationships in Ohio.NC State
Fun fact: Small bulbils form in the leaf axils and drop to produce new plants.NC State

EdibilityAvoid
Roots and sap contain calcium oxalate crystals and should not be eaten.NC State
ToxicityLow-severity poison
Oxalates can irritate the mouth and digestive tract and pose particular risk to pets.NC State
Native statusIntroduced ornamental
Native to China and Japan, not eastern North America.NC State
Material utilityOrnamental
Valued mainly for flowers, foliage, and dependable growth in shaded gardens.NC State
Ecological valueModest value
Flowers may feed insects, but it is not a substitute for native woodland host plants.NC State
Allergen potentialContact possible
Sap and oxalate crystals can irritate; it is not a typical airborne pollen allergen.NC State

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Copy catalog names76 unique identifications from observations with photos

American asters (Symphyotrichum)
American pokeweed (Phytolacca americana)
American tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifera)
Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii)
Apples and crabapples (Malus)
Ashes (Fraxinus)
Asteroideae
Autumn olive (Elaeagnus umbellata)
Bearded Beggarticks (Bidens aristosa)
Beggarticks (Bidens)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta)
Blackberries (Rubus)
Blue spruce (Picea pungens)
Bonesets (Eupatorium)
Brambles (Rubus)
Broomsedge bluestem (Anatherum virginicum)
Callery pear (Pyrus calleryana)
Carpet bugle (Ajuga reptans)
Chameleon Plant (Houttuynia cordata)
Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
Chinese bushclover (Lespedeza cuneata)
Climbing prairie rose (Rosa setigera)
Common dandelion (Taraxacum officinale)
Common Five-lined Skink (Plestiodon fasciatus)
Common hackberry (Celtis occidentalis)
Common ivy (Hedera helix)
Common Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album)
Common ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)
Common Three-seeded Mercury (Acalypha rhomboidea)
Cooper's Hawk (Astur cooperii)
Creeping Jenny (Lysimachia nummularia)
Creeping thistle (Cirsium arvense)
Cutleaf teasel (Dipsacus laciniatus)
Dandelions (Taraxacum)
Diapheromera
Dicots (Magnoliopsida)
Dooryard violet (Viola communis)
Eastern white pine (Pinus strobus)
Field thistle (Cirsium discolor)
Fortune's spindle (Euonymus fortunei)
Frost grape (Vitis vulpina)
Gingers, bananas, and allies (Zingiberales)
Goldenrods (Solidago)
Great mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
Ground-ivy (Glechoma hederacea)
Hardy begonia (Begonia grandis)
Hemp dogbane (Apocynum cannabinum)
Hollow Joe-Pye Weed (Eutrochium fistulosum)
Hostas (Hosta)
Hypoestes
Interior sandbar willow (Salix interior)
Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)
Japanese Spirea (Spiraea japonica)
Lactarius psammicola
Late boneset (Eupatorium serotinum)
Liriope (Liriope muscari)
Maleae
New England aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae)
Northern arrowwood (Viburnum recognitum)
Oaks (Quercus)
Ohio buckeye (Aesculus glabra)
Prostrate sandmat (Euphorbia prostrata)
Red-spotted Admiral (Limenitis arthemis)
River birch (Betula nigra)
Sandmats (Anisophyllum)
Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)
Small carpetgrass (Arthraxon hispidus)
Sunflowers (Helianthus)
Tall goldenrod (Solidago altissima)
Tall Ironweed (Vernonia gigantea)
Teasels (Dipsacus)
Weeping willow (Salix babylonica)
Wild carrot (Daucus carota)
Wild teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
Willows (Salix)
Yellow archangel (Lamium galeobdolon)

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