TreeMama

I consider cutleaf toothwort (Cardamine concatenata) to be an old friend. It is probably one of the most familiar species in eastern North America. Finding it is a good indication that the land has not been too badly touched by human activity as it is one of the first species to disappear after heavy disturbance.

Cutleaf toothwort and its close cousins play an important role for early emerging pollinators as well as at least one lepidopteran species flying around eastern forests, the Virginia white butterfly (Pieris virginiensis). Its larvae feed on a variety of toothworts but are particularly fond of slender toothwort (Cardamine angustata) and the broad leaf toothwort (Cardamine diphylla). Due to severe habitat fragmentation, this butterfly has declined rapidly throughout parts of its range.