Yellow Honeysuckle (Lonicera flava)
This is native honeysuckle, not the highly invasive Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica) which, since its introduction here, has become one of our most troublesome weeds displacing native plants.
According to Missouri's Kemper Center for Home Gardening: "This honeysuckle (often commonly called yellow honeysuckle) is a deciduous, woody, twining vine which typically grows 10-20'. It is a Missouri native which occurs in rocky soils in woods, slopes, bluffs, ledges and stream margins in the Ozark region of the State. Elliptic green leaves (to 3.5" long) are grayish green below and are paired along the stems, with the uppermost leaves on each stem joined at the bases (perfoliate). Two-lipped, tubular, mildly-fragrant, orange-yellow flowers (to 1.25" long) appear in whorls at the stem ends in mid-spring. Flowers give way to round,
fleshy, orange to red berries (1/4" diameter) which appear in late summer. Berries are not edible, but birds love them. Hummingbirds and butterflies are attracted to the flowers."Jo and I have found honeysuckle growing in three separate locations around our place. The two growing in the woods at pasture's edge are getting more sunshine and spreading up into the surrounding trees and brush. I love the way the blooms (and later, the berries) emerge from the center of the paired leaves. The blooms around here open bright yellow, but turn more redish-orange over time. The only "problem" with native honeysuckle is that it blooms only once per year and for a relatively short time. Nature requires patience.
(Note: All three photos from 4/28/08.)
