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 a typically rather short-lived pioneer species widespread in the Northern Hemisphere, particularly in northern areas of temperate climates and in boreal climates.
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 for 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. The wood is often used for pulpwood and firewood.
Betula populifolia is a deciduous tree native to eastern North America.
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.
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.
Stigmella sakhalinella is a moth of the family Nepticulidae. It is found from Scandinavia to the Pyrenees, Italy and Serbia, and from Great Britain to central Russia, east to the eastern part of the Palearctic realm. It is also found in the Near East.
Caloptilia suberinella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Ukraine, Russia and China. It was recently recorded from North America.
Caloptilia coruscans is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from south-western Europe and Thrace.
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 falconipennella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from all of Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula.
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.
Caloptilia magnifica is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from the southern Alps and former Yugoslavia, and a subspecies of Japan.
Caloptilia leucapennella is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. It is known from all of Europe, except the Balkan Peninsula.
Caloptilia alnivorella, the alder leafminer, is a moth of the family Gracillariidae. The species was first described by Vactor Tousey Chambers in 1875. It is known from the Russian Far East, Canada and the United States.
