Betula lenta is one of the great unsung heroes in the native landscape. Easy to grow, tolerant of wet areas and partial shade, this fast growing tree takes on a tight pyramidal form when young only to broaden out to a more open, widely pyramidal shape as it matures. Big, ovate, shiny green leaves cover its branches in early spring about the same time that a large display of catkins covers those same branches. These catkins are the male flowers of this tree and are quite showy. While Betula lenta is not endowed with the flashy white bark of some of its relatives, its brown bark is attractive and it turns nearly black and separates into plates as it ages. Great yellow fall foliage color will light up the landscape on this tree that provides great cover for native birds and insects along with a food source from its small seeds to these same birds