woodland wildflower

Virginia spiderwort

Tradescantia virginiana

Also known as Spider Lily

Native to much of the USA and southern Canada

Western Connecticut to Wisconsin, south to Georgia, Tennessee and eastern Missouri; escaped in New England

In the garden

A woodland wildflower for sun through shade and dry to moist soil. Its white flowers peak in June. Hardy in USDA zones 4–9.

Light

Full sun Partial shade Full shade

Moisture

Dry Moist Wet

Find your zone:

The Virginia spiderwort's white flowers bloom March to July, peaking in June. This early-summer display draws bees and flower flies.

Virginia spiderwort blooms white, blue & purpleFoliage

Bees Common Eastern Bumble Bee

also Western Honey Bee, Two-spotted Bumble Bee, American Bumble Bee +35 more
Ligated Furrow Bee, Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee, Pure Green Sweat bee, Perplexing Bumble Bee, Black-and-gold Bumble Bee, Half-black Bumble Bee, Orange-legged Furrow Bee, Brown-winged Striped Sweat Bee, Golden Sweat Bee, Orange-tipped Wood-digger, Rugose-chested Sweat Bee, Cresson's Mining Bee, Squash Longhorn-Cuckoo, Cherry Mining Bee, Megachile brevis, Ceratina dupla, Experienced Sweat Bee, Osmia pumila, Lasioglossum cinctipes, hoary sweat bee, Andrena personata, white-winged sweat bee, Box-headed Furrow Bee, Megachile policaris, Yellow-spotted Cuckoo Nomad Bee, Augochloropsis fulgida, Lasioglossum coriaceum, Nimble Ceratina, Eucera dubitata, Nomada salicis, Macropis steironematis, Agapostemon viridulus, Tetragona dissecta, Lasioglossum tegulare, Augochlorella persimilis
Flower flies Margined Calligrapher

also Common Drone Fly, Oblique Streaktail, Long-tailed Aphideater +6 more
Black-shouldered Drone Fly, Common Flower Fly, Bombylius atriceps, Hemipenthes sinuosus, Sphaerophoria cylindricus, Shiny Thickleg
Butterflies Checkered White
Also visited by
- Moths: Tersa Sphinx
- Beetles: Acmaeodera tubulus

Documented host and nectar records. Each links to a planting guide for that butterfly.

Habitat: WoodlandThe wild plant community it grows in.
Native range: Much of the USA and southern CanadaUnited States (23): AL, CT, DC, DE, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MI, MO, MS, NC, NJ, NY, OH, PA, SC, TN, VA, WI, WV. Canada (1): ON. Where it grows wild on its own, by state and province.
Native distribution: Western Connecticut to Wisconsin, south to Georgia, Tennessee and eastern Missouri; escaped in New EnglandThe same native range, usually more exact than the state list, and often noting where it has spread beyond it.

Light: Full sun to shadeHow much sun it takes, from full sun to full shade.
Moisture: Dry to moistThe soil dampness it prefers, from dry to wet.
Hardiness zones: USDA 4–9 · Canadian 5–7The cold-to-heat climate range it survives.
Soil: Very adaptable plant prefers humus-rich soil but will grow in a wide range of soils: moist/dry, clay/sand, acid/alkalineThe soils it grows in naturally.
Soil texture: Light to heavy (sandy to clay)The soil grade it prefers, from sand to clay.
Soil pH: 4.0–8.0The acidity to alkalinity it tolerates (7 is neutral).
Soil quality: LowHow rich a soil it needs. Many natives prefer lean soil and flop in rich beds.
Water use: Low to mediumHow thirsty it is, a rough guide to how often to water.
Salinity tolerance: NoneHow well it copes with salty soil, near roads or the coast.
Lime (CaCO₃) tolerance: LowHow well it copes with chalky, lime-rich soil.

Life cycle: PerennialWhether it lives a single season (annual), two (biennial), or returns for years (perennial).
Growth rate: RapidA relative ranking versus other plants of the same type (USDA), not an absolute rate.
Shape: ErectIts overall silhouette.
Root depth: 4+ in (10+ cm)How far the roots reach, a guide to drought resilience and transplanting.

Type: WildflowerWhat kind of plant it is.
Bloom: Mar–JulWhen it flowers.
Flower color: White, Blue, PurpleThe bloom color, or colors.
Fruit/Seeds: ripens Apr–JulThe seed or fruit it sets after flowering.
Toxicity: Poisonous if eatenWhether any part is poisonous to people or pets.

Cold stratification: Not requiredWhether seed needs a cold, moist spell before it will germinate.
Propagation: Bare root, seedHow to start new plants.
Seed: ~2 million seeds per poundNotes on the seed and how to sow it.
Seed spread rate: ModerateHow readily it self-sows. Slow or none means well-behaved, not a spreader.
Seedling vigor: HighHow strongly young seedlings establish.
Vegetative spread: NoneWhether it creeps outward or stays put in a clump.