Featured Native Shrub: Honeysuckle
When most people think of honeysuckle, they think of the Japanese honeysuckle vine that grows along fences and trees-- the one with the sweet nectar we all tasted as kids.
Japanese honeysuckle and the other three bush honeysuckles (Morrow, Tatarian, and Amur) are all non-native and degrade our landscape by displacing native shrubs and forbs. While they may provide structure for wildlife, the fruits of these plants do not contain the lipid (fat) content necessary to provide substantial nutrients to any of our local fauna.
Pennsylvania does have a couple of native honeysuckle shrubs. We recently planted two, Fly honeysuckle (Lonicera candensis) and Bush honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera), at the Waterloo Mills Preserve and both are growing very well. Either shrub would be a nice addition to a residential landscape as they fill out nicely and are very attractive when in flower. Below are two photos of bush-honeysuckle growing in a landscaped area outside of the millhouse at the Preserve. The photos were snapped just before the shrub was in full bloom.
