BiodiverseCity 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).

FALL 2021 Honeysuckle Sweep will be the entire month of November. Volunteer dates and events will be posted here soon. You can find a list of educational resources 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?

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.

 

2018 Sweep Results:

39		Events
18		Locations
722		Volunteers
2154		Volunteer Hours
35.75		Acres Cleared

2017 Sweep Results:

28		Events
22		Locations
800		Volunteers
2190		Volunteer Hours
20		Acres Cleared

2016 Sweep Results:

25		Events/Locations
613		Volunteers
14		Acres Cleared

“I appreciate the leadership that was shown on this project. Although we regularly fight honeysuckle and other invasive species, this year we did it with more enthusiasm and with more volunteers. Many thanks to both of you and to Mo Bot for pushing this project.”

—Tim Wood, Sustainability Coordinator, The College School