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).
SPRING 2021 Honeysuckle Sweep will be the entire month of March. 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