Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle is an aggressive, non-native, invasive species in Vermont. It seems to be everywhere. Like most invasive species it is primarily a problem because it outcompetes native species and can also block sunlight from reaching the forest floor enough to inhibit forest regeneration.

Even the berries are a problem because they are low fat and do not provide the nutrition that migratory birds need. I did not know this until doing some research for this post. Because let me tell you, the birds love these berries.

Honeysuckle flowers early and is very fragrant. The flowers vary from yellow to white to pink. It is a very showy plant.

I have cut lots of it around my property. There is a big thicket still on the south edge of my yard near my garden. I have pushed it back quite aways but am now quite aways over my property line and hesitant to keep going 😅 Honeysuckle is a plant that went from being promoted up to about the 1950s to being harmful and invasive. Oldtimers grew up with it around and probably don't share my fervor for removing it.

On to more positive topics, I have a couple of plums that are starting to ripen. This is a Pembina plum famous for being cold hardy.

My Pembina was a bit leggy and shooting suckers from the base. I cut off the suckers, staked it up and will prune some of the branches next spring since it is young (thats what the internet says).

This is my last raspberry of the season lol it is in the middle of my bramble and probably won't get picked. I have a mix of a native raspberry that is very thorny and unruly and a cultivated variety that is almost thornless and grows more upright. The native ones make picking a challenge 😳