Lush woodbine Beautiful scent to attract pollinators
O
ne of the most widespread climbing plants in woods, thrushes, bullfinches and warblers – feed on the berries, though these are slightly toxic to humans. The plant is hedgerows and scrub in Devon is the honeysuckle, much favoured by nectar-feeding bumblebees, especially or woodbine, Lonicera periclymenum. It flowers from those with long tongues such as the garden bumblebee June to September and may climb to 20 feet (six metres). Bombus hortorum. The unmistakeable scent of honeysuckle is best at night, Older more dense clumps of honeysuckle are used probably to attract night-flying moths to pollinate it - they by birds for nesting. If you find a honeysuckle with can detect the scent up to a quarter of a mile away. As some of the bark removed, it may be that dormice are with some other plants, when the flowers of honeysuckle responsible; they shred the bark and use it to weave their are ready to exchange pollen, they change colour to summer nests, usually in a tree hole white, which is easily seen by moths. or old bird’s nest. It has also been Once they have been pollinated, the If you find a honeysuckle used to make beautiful walking flowers turn yellow and wither. with some of the bark removed, sticks, created as the plant twines Honeysuckle is the foodplant around the branches, causing for the larvae of at least 40 of it may be that dormice are the branches to the larger moths, including the responsible; they shred the bark become twisted. Beautiful Golden Y, Copper and use it to weave their In Shakespeare’s Underwing, Early Grey and Green ‘A Midsummer Arches; I have seen Elephant summer nests Night’s Hawkmoths, Hummingbird Dream’, Hawkmoths and Silver Y moths he mentions honeysuckle twice: visiting the flowers on our honeysuckle. The larvae of Oberon’s bank ‘Quite overthe White Admiral butterfly, as well as about a dozen canopied with lush woodbine’, leaf-mining moths and flies, also feed on honeysuckle, and when Titania says to the latter living inside its leaves. Some birds – such as
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