NATIVE PLANT OF THE MONTH: Northern Catalpa, Catalpa speciosa

Northern Catalpa, Catalpa speciosa, is a deciduous tree that grow to

100 feet. It loves growing in moist sun and part shade. Mature trees are

drought tolerant. It produces large frilly white blooms from April to June.

Long brown seed pods ripen in the fall.

Butterflies and bees nectar on the flowers. Catalpa is the host plant for

the Catalpa sphinx, Ceratomia catalpa, and the Tersa

sphinx, Xylophanes tersa. The Catalpa sphynx caterpillars are

sometimes called Catalpa worms and are prized as fishing bait and

called “Catfish Candy.” Catalpa caterpillars are also loved by bream,

perch, and largemouth bass. These caterpillars can almost defoliate the

tree. If you decide to collect the caterpillars to go fishing, wear gloves

because they excrete a yellow-green fluid.

Catalpa can be propagated by seed and cuttings. Seeds are considered

the easiest way to propagate and can be germinated without any

pretreatment. Moist cold stratification of the seeds for 4 weeks improves

the germination rate. Semi-hardwood cuttings can be rooted in late

summer by selecting 10” sections of stem. Remove the bottom leaves

and dip the stem in rooting hormone. Place in moist potting soil and

cover with clear plastic to retain moisture. -Louise Prejean

Photo credit: https://www.wildflower.org/plants/result.php?

id_plant=casp8