Keystone Value: The genus Betula (Birch) supports over 400 species of butterfly and moth caterpillars, providing food for a variety of birds and mammals.

Sweet Birch (Betula lenta) is a medium to large sized deciduous tree that grows naturally in woodlands, preferring north-facing slopes and moist soils. The flowers attract native pollinators, and the foliage turns a showy golden-yellow in the fall. Sweet Birch twigs have a strong sent of wintergreen when scratched. It was once harvested extensively to produce oil of wintergreen, and was borderline endangered until the 1950s-60s when synthetic oil of wintergreen was developed. Its sap can be used to make birch beer as well as a strong syrup that resembles molasses. Sweet Birch is a larval host plant for the Mourning Cloak Butterfly (shown above), among others.

We ship from two locations:

• Maryland – Our nursery in Maryland is perfectly located to serve the Eastern United States within a 2-3 day shipping window. You will receive the most reasonable shipping rates from our Maryland location if you live east of Ohio.

• Illinois – Our nursery in Illinois is perfectly located to serve the Midwestern United states within a 2-3 day shipping window. You will receive the most reasonable shipping rates from our Illinois location if you live west of West Virginia.

Not all plants are offered at both locations. You can find more information on our products and packaging on the Shipping Information page.