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BiodiverseCity St Louis

NO Bush HoneysuckleBiodiverseCity St. Louis Network partners join together to spotlight the harmful impact of bush honeysuckle on our region. Bush honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) degrades our beautiful woodlands, neighborhoods, backyards, trails, and stream banks into impenetrable thickets lacking ecological, economic, or recreational value. Beginning in 2016, organizations have hosted biannual public events and volunteer workdays throughout the months of March and November. Volunteers remove bush honeysuckle and replant with native species to improve public spaces for wildlife habitat, recreation, and enjoyment.

In an effort to energize the greater St. Louis region around improving habitat for our native plants and animals, area conservation organizations join together to spotlight invasive bush honeysuckle and the need to remove it so that large swaths of land can become productive areas for native habitat, recreation and enjoyment. To that end, organizations will host public events and volunteer removal days during Honeysuckle Sweep Month(s).

Spring 2025 Honeysuckle Sweep events listed below.

Project Goals:
  • Remove bush honeysuckle to promote the establishment of native plant species
  • Raise public awareness about the need for bush honeysuckle removal and the benefits of replacing invasive plant species with native plant species
  • Connect corridors and greenspaces throughout the St. Louis region to improve habitat for wildlife
How can bush honeysuckle threaten our local landscapes?

Bush honeysuckle can rapidly develop into dense infestations that:

  • Displace native and other desirable plants from our gardens and natural areas
  • Reduce habitat for wildlife such as butterflies, which depend upon native plants
  • Threaten the future of our woodlands, as mature trees die without replacement
  • Offer poor nutritional value for birds relative to fruits of native shrubs
  • Increase tick abundance and exposure to tick borne illness dues to higher deer concentration
  • Increase survival of mosquito larvae due to changes in water chemistry

What should our forests, streams and roadways look like without bush honeysuckle choking them?

Rock Bridge State Park
Rock Bridge State Park. Photo by Erick Bohle.

Eric Bohle of Columbia, Missouri has photographed infested and restored sites around Missouri and in St. Louis. His photo to the left shows an area in Rock Bridge State Park that does not yet have a bush honeysuckle infestation.

Visit parks and natural areas where acreage cleared of bush honeysuckle is being restored with native plants after recent removal events! You’ll find ideas to replace the honeysuckle “privacy hedge” on your property with native bushes, trees and flowers. Two such areas to visit are the Forest Park – Kennedy Woods Savannah in the City of St. Louis and Emmenegger Nature Park in Kirkwood.

Spring 2025 Honeysuckle Sweep Events

Please Note:

  • For all events, volunteers are encouraged to bring a reusable water bottle and to dress appropriately for the weather and outdoor work, including wearing closed-toed shoes, long pants, and long sleeved shirts.
  • Special instructions for each event are listed below, with more information on each organization’s website.
  • Each organization will have additional information on hand to help ensure the safety of participants.

past participants Every Tuesday and Thursday, 8 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Shaw Nature Reserve
Organized by Missouri Botanical Garden
New events will be listed as they are scheduled
Register

Every Saturday, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Shaw Nature Reserve
Organized by Missouri Botanical Garden
New events will be listed as they are scheduled
Register

March 13, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Route 66 State Park
Organized by Open Space STL
Register

March 15, 9–11 a.m.
Honeysuckle Hack at Fee Fee Greenway
Organized by Great Rivers Greenway
Register

March 15, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack and Invasive Removal at Greensfelder Park
Organized by the Community Stewardship Alliance
Register

March 15, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Jefferson Barracks Park
Organized by the Community Stewardship Alliance
Register

March 15, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Carondelet Park
Organized by Friends of Carondelet Park
No pre-registration required

March 19, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack and Invasive Removal at Greensfelder Park
Organized by the Community Stewardship Alliance
Register

March 21, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at the Mississippi Sanctuary
Organized by The Nature Institute
Register

March 22, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Route 66 State Park
Organized by Open Space STL
Register

March 22, 9–11 a.m.
Honeysuckle Hack at Western Greenway
Organized by Great Rivers Greenway
Register

March 22, 2–5 p.m. CANCELLED
Honeysuckle Hack at Cuivre River State Park
Organized by Missouri State Parks
To register, email leslie.gittemeier@dnr.mo.gov

March 27, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Castlewood State Park
Organized by Open Space STL
Register

March 29, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Spanish Lake County Park
Organized by the Community Stewardship Alliance
Register

March 29, 9 a.m.–noon
Honeysuckle Hack at Little Creve Coeur Ecological Area
Organized by the Community Stewardship Alliance
Register

March 29, 9–11 a.m.
Honeysuckle Hack at Busch Greenway
Organized by Great Rivers Greenway
Register

 

Resources

 
Bush honeysuckle Bush Honeysuckle Removal, Control, Alternatives and MORE:
Ameren Missouri logo MDC logo
Honeysuckle Sweep for Healthy Habitat sponsorship support by Ameren Missouri, Missouri Department of Conservation, and the Trio Foundation of St. Louis.
 

BiodiverseCity logo

A Community Initiative to Promote, Protect and Plan for Biodiversity Throughout the Greater St. Louis Region