TULIP TREE (Liriodendron tulipfera)
The Tulip Tree is the tallest tree species in Eastern North America but not a big player when it comes to use by assorted forms of butterflies and moths. The seeds are eaten by many species of small mammals and birds and Sapsuckers often drill their sap pits in the bark, but the leaves attract fewer than a half dozen lepidoptera (moths & butterflies). Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, Promethea, Tulip-Tree Beauty and the very rare Tulip-Tree Silk Moth caterpillars do use the tree. The Burdock Borer moth has a different approach, and sets up house in young tree shoots.
The Tulip Tree leaf is used in the Long Point Basin Land Trust logo and is also featured on the Norfolk County Coat of Arms! The tree is a feature of Carolinian forest biodiversity and Southwestern Ontario represents the northernmost point of this significant forest ecosystem.
