soon, but this has been gnawing at me as I see it around so much. I want to
share it with certain folks, but fear they will take it as some sort of attack
(this happens more often than you think as being a good neighbor for some means
to keep your mouth shut and to seethe over any festering issues, anything but
to tell them and unleash their wrath). No guarantee it will make it past the
list keepers of the ppe-list, so it just makes sense to use our forum as well.
We’re fixated on Buckthorn, but these invasive species of Honeysuckle are also
a problem, hence this weed of the month.
I removed plants around my house around ten years back when I first became
aware it was a problem, but as it is a landscape shrub with a long history of
use here, there is still plenty of it around (lots next door). It keeps coming
back and like Buckthorn, always will until we all get a better handle on what
to do with it. Folks at the Dept. of Ag don’t seem to realize the difference
between a link to their site and a photo attachment, but the jpeg-file they
link is in a park setting, I think.
I used a saw on my bigger plants and hack at the rest with a scythe.
> Begin forwarded message:
>
> From: "Minnesota Department of Agriculture"
<<email obscured>>
> Subject: September Weed of the Month: Morrow's Honeysuckle
> Date: August 31, 2017 at 2:51:18 PM CDT
> Reply-To: <email obscured>
>
> Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page
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>
> Thursday, August 31, 2017
>
> September Weed of the Month: Morrow's Honeysuckle
>
> Emilie Justen, Minnesota Department of Agriculture
> Morrow’s honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) is the second of four non-native
honeysuckles on the Restricted Noxious Weeds list. It is native to Japan and
was introduced to the United States in the 1800s. It was planted for a variety
of uses, including ornamental plantings, for wildlife food and cover, and for
erosion control. Morrow’s honeysuckle has spread and naturalized in many
Eastern and Midwestern states.
>
> Morrow’s honeysuckle is a multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub that grows to 8 feet
tall. Leaves are opposite, 1-2 inches long, oval shaped, hairy on the
undersides, and grayish-green in color. Flowers are paired and occur along the
stem at the leaf axils. The plants bloom in mid to late spring and the flowers
are white to pale yellow. The fruits are paired, round, and are reddish to
orange. The bark is light brown and shaggy.
>
> Morrow’s honeysuckle is adapted to many habitats. It grows well in woodlands,
roadsides, mature and disturbed forests, savannas, fence rows, and pastures. It
also grows well in full sun to shade and moist to dry or sandy soils. Morrow’s
honeysuckle reproduces through seed dispersal by birds and through root
suckering. It can suppress native plants by forming dense monocultures that
reduce species diversity.
>
> Morrow’s honeysuckle is a Restricted Noxious Weed in Minnesota. Although
landowners are ultimately not required to control or eradicate Restricted
Noxious Weeds on their properties, they are encouraged to manage Morrow’s
honeysuckle appropriately to prevent future spread of this species and
degradation of native habitats. Several management tactics are available for
Morrow’s honeysuckle. For all options, infestation sites will need to be
monitored and treated repeatedly until the seedbanks are depleted.
>
> Do not plant Morrow’s honeysuckle and eradicate existing plants on your
property.
> Young plants can be pulled by hand. Mature plants can be removed by repeated
cutting or mowing.
> Prescribed burning can be an effective tool to control infestations in
combination with other techniques. Spring burning can kill seedlings and the
tops of mature plants. Make sure to contact the Minnesota Department of Natural
Resources
<http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcwODMxLjc3NTg1NTAxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MDgzMS43NzU4NTUwMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2OTQ4MTM4JmVtYWlsaWQ9d2prYWhuQGFvbC5jb20mdXNlcmlkPXdqa2FobkBhb2wuY29tJnRhcmdldGlkPSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&101&&&http://www.dnr.state.mn.us/forestry/fire/questions.html>
to learn more about control burning practices and regulations.
> Foliar and cut-stem application of herbicides that translocate their active
ingredients into the root system can be very effective. Treatments will need to
be repeated for several years to eradicate a population. If using herbicide
treatments, check with the University of Minnesota Extension, co-op, or
certified landscape care expert for assistance and recommendations.
>
> PHOTO ATTACHED:
>
> Caption: Morrow's honeysuckle plant has whitish flowers. Photo courtesy:
Leslie J. Mehrhoff, University of Connecticut, Bugwood.org
>
>
> mh-plant.jpg
<http://links.govdelivery.com/track?type=click&enid=ZWFzPTEmbXNpZD0mYXVpZD0mbWFpbGluZ2lkPTIwMTcwODMxLjc3NTg1NTAxJm1lc3NhZ2VpZD1NREItUFJELUJVTC0yMDE3MDgzMS43NzU4NTUwMSZkYXRhYmFzZWlkPTEwMDEmc2VyaWFsPTE2OTQ4MTM4JmVtYWlsaWQ9d2prYWhuQGFvbC5jb20mdXNlcmlkPXdqa2FobkBhb2wuY29tJnRhcmdldGlkPSZmbD0mZXh0cmE9TXVsdGl2YXJpYXRlSWQ9JiYm&&&102&&&https://content.govdelivery.com/attachments/MNMDA/2017/08/30/file_attachments/871367/mh-plant.jpg>
> MEDIA: For more information on Weed of the Month, contact Allen Sommerfeld,
MDA Communications, at <email obscured>
<mailto:<email obscured>> or 651-201-6185.