A birch is a thin-leaved deciduous hardwood tree of the genus Betula, in the family Betulaceae, which also includes alders, hazels, and hornbeams. It is closely related to the beech-oak family Fagaceae. The genus Betula contains 30 to 60 known taxa of which 11 are on the IUCN 2011 Red List of Threatened Species. They are typically short-lived pioneer species and are widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in northern areas of temperate climates and in boreal climates. Birch wood is used for a wide range of purposes.
Betula pendula, commonly known as silver birch, warty birch, European white birch, or East Asian white birch, is a species of tree in the family Betulaceae, native to Europe and parts of Asia, though in southern Europe, it is only found at higher altitudes. Its range extends into Siberia, China, and southwest Asia in the mountains of northern Turkey, the Caucasus, and northern Iran. It has been introduced into North America, where it is known as the European white birch or weeping birch and is considered invasive in some states in the United States and parts of Canada. The tree can also be found in more temperate regions of Australia.
Betula pubescens, commonly known as downy birch and also as moor birch, white birch, European white birch or hairy birch, is a species of deciduous tree, native and abundant throughout northern Europe and northern Asia, growing farther north than any other broadleaf tree. It is closely related to, and often confused with, the silver birch, but grows in wetter places with heavier soils and poorer drainage; smaller trees can also be confused with the dwarf birch.
Betula nigra, the black birch, river birch or water birch, is a species of birch native to the Eastern United States from New Hampshire west to southern Minnesota, and south to northern Florida and west to Texas. It is one of the few heat-tolerant birches in a family of mostly cold-weather trees which do not thrive in USDA Zone 6 and up. B. nigra commonly occurs in floodplains and swamps.
Betula papyrifera is a short-lived species of birch native to northern North America. Paper birch is named after the tree's thin white bark, which often peels in paper-like layers from the trunk. Paper birch is often one of the first species to colonize a burned area within the northern latitudes, and is an important species for moose browsing. Primary commercial uses for paper birch wood are as boltwood and sawlogs, while secondary products include firewood and pulpwood. It is the provincial tree of Saskatchewan and the state tree of New Hampshire.
Mimas tiliae, the lime hawk-moth, is a moth of the family Sphingidae. It is found throughout the Palearctic region and the Near East, and in northern Spain (Europe). The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1758 10th edition of Systema Naturae.
Betula glandulosa, the American dwarf birch, also known as resin birch or shrub birch, is a species of birch native to North America.
Caloptilia rufipennella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae that is found throughout Europe.
Caloptilia alchimiella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in Europe and the Near East.
Caloptilia cuculipennella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in Holarctic Region, including most of Europe.
Eriocrania sangii, the large birch purple, is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe and described by John Henry Wood in 1891. The moth can be found flying in sunshine around birch trees and the larvae feed on birch leaves.
Eriocrania unimaculella is a moth of the family Eriocraniidae found in Europe. It was first described by the Swedish naturalist Johan Wilhelm Zetterstedt in 1839. The larvae feed inside the leaves of birch, making a mine.
Caloptilia populetorum is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is found in most of Europe, except Italy, the Balkan Peninsula and the Mediterranean islands.
Stigmella betulicola is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found in most of Europe, east to the eastern part of the Palearctic realm.
Stigmella lapponica is a moth of the family Nepticulidae found in Asia, Europe and North America. It was first described by the German entomologist, Maximilian Ferdinand Wocke in 1862. The larvae mine the leaves of birch.
Caloptilia elongella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from all of Europe east to eastern Russia. It is also found in North America from British Columbia, south to California and east in the north to New Hampshire and New York.
Caloptilia robustella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from all of Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula.
Caloptilia stigmatella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from the Holarctic Region, including all of Europe.
Coleophora fuscocuprella is a moth of the family Coleophoridae. It is found from Fennoscandia to the Pyrenees, Italy, Albania and Romania and from Ireland to Russia.
Betula dahurica, Dahurian birch, or Asian black birch, is a species of birch which is native to China, Japan, Korea, eastern Mongolia, and Russian Far East. It was introduced to the United Kingdom and also grows at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. In Japan, it usually grows in Nobeyama in Nagano Prefecture in the island of Honshu where it is considered to be endangered. Small population of them can also be found on Hokkaido and Kuril Islands.
