Honeysuckle (Focus - June)

As the hedgerows green up in spring, the early growth of the honeysuckle stands out. In a hedge that has been trimmed over the previous winter, its growth rapidly outstrips that of the woodier shrubs. Its red-stemmed tendrils and purple leaves can produce a haze of contrasting colour over the top of a hedge as they shoot upward, twining around themselves seeking support. This growth pattern is well suited to its natural woodland habitat where it clambers upward and twists around tree branches and stems to seek the light in the upper canopy. As the plants age and intertwine, their lower stems can thicken into fibrous tangled ropes which can distort the trees that support them. These vines can be very difficult to break, but develop a flaky bark which dormice and some birds use as nesting material. Sometimes, the way that the honeysuckle twists around a tree’s stem can result in an unnatural spiral shape which can be used to create distinctive walking sticks.
 
By June, the pale yellow and pink flowers come into bloom and emit their sweet perfume. This is strongest in the evening and at night and attracts pollinating insects, such as the elephant hawk moths, which have long enough proboscises to penetrate the flowers’ narrow trumpets. In turn, these insects can become food for foraging bats, as they feed along summer hedgerows. By autumn, the flowers are replaced by clusters of shiny crimson berries, which glow against the hedgerow leaves as they turn colour. They are gobbled up by various birds and mammals which thereby spread the seeds far and wide.

The plant’s leaves provide food for a variety of insects, from blackfly up to the larvae of butterflies and moths. One of our rarer local butterflies, the white admiral, relies entirely on woodland honeysuckle, on which its caterpillars feed. The exotic looking scarlet tiger moth is more catholic in its tastes and, as well as feeding on honeysuckle in our hedge, I’ve found caterpillars on comfrey in our flower beds. We regularly see them flying on sunny midsummer afternoons, so I suppose having a choice of food plants is to their liking.

​Andrew Graham