It’s sneaky, it’s pretty, it has berries the birds love, and it’s the invasive plant problem you never heard of. Amur Honeysuckle (botanical name Lonicera maackii), a non-native bush from eastern Asia, is a very aggressive plant that sprouts abundantly, out-competes many plants, and tends to take over if not controlled. In March, it leafs out earlier and grows rap-idly to get a head start on other bushes. It has a white bloom by early May, and by August is setting berries. The berries are red, stay on the bush all winter, and birds spread the seeds.
Eight states have outlawed it. The Kansas Department of Health & Environment recommends that cities erad-icate it, but Lawrence Parks & Recreation doesn’t have the budget to control it. Amur Honeysuckle is taking over Brook Creek Neighborhood and many areas of Lawrence. It’s all over the Brook Creek Woods, all along the Burroughs Creek Trail, along the Kansas River, in many City drainageways, and is even a major problem at the Prairie Park Nature Center. You very likely have it in your fence line.
The Brook Creek Neighborhood Association is launch-ing an effort to eradicate Amur Honeysuckle in our neighborhood. Any occurrence of it poses a problem for your neighbors, so please identify it and remove it if you have it.
To learn more about it visit http://www.invasive.org/browse/subinfo.cfm?sub=3040, & http://www.nps.gov/plants/alien/pubs/midatlantic/loma.htm
Red berries in the Fall
