LOW BUSH HONEYSUCKLE

LOW BUSH HONEYSUCKLE: 2'-3' TALL,  NATIVE SHRUB...

,..WITH OPPOSITE, SIMPLE LEAVES...

THAT CHANGE TO BRONZE AND RED IN FALL,  AND THAT BEARS YELLOW, SWEET SCENTED FLOWERS

Wednesday, 8:00 AM,  69 degrees F at the ferry dock, 62 on the back porch.  Wind SSW, very light. The sky is mostly sunny, the humidity 74%.  The barometer is rising gently, now at 29.64".  The high today will be around 80 again, a very nice day indeed.  It will then become cooler, with chances of thunderstorms Thursday through Monday.
   Low bush honeysuckle, Diervilla lonicera, in the Honeysuckle Family (Caprifoliaceae) is a low growing, spreading shrub with opposite, simple leaves that turn to shades of yellow, copper and red in the fall, and bears pale yellow, scented flowers attractive to hummingbirds, bees and butterflies.
   It is native to the northeastern US and Canada and around the Great Lakes and in the Appalachian Mountains on dry, rocky, and fire-prone sites, particularly in association with fir and Jack pine.  It is useful in restoration of native landscapes, and as a compact hedge that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies.
   The true honeysuckle genus is Lonicera, which is the Latin name for honeysuckle,  and the species name for this plant indicates its similarity to it.  The Genus name is that of the 18th Century Frenchman who first described the plant and brought it back to Europe, where Linnaeus named it.