Black Locust

Black locust tolerates poor soil conditions and often invades abandoned farmland. It spreads rapidly through an extensive root system that produces suckers. Despite its widespread distribution, the black locust rates low as a wildlife plant. The locust leaf miner, a beetle, is an important pest of black locust in Virginia. Both the adult and larvae feed on leaves; by the end of the summer the foliage of many trees appears burned as a result. A fungus disease, Fomes rimosa, causes heart rot. The fruiting body of this decomposer can be seen on many school yard trees.