Late fall is a good time to battle invasive species that harms native plant communities
Kansas City, Mo. –
Bush honeysuckle remains green as autumn fades and winter arrives, which offers
a chance for homeowners to help battle this invasive species. It’s easy to spot
in early winter as one of the last shrubs to drop leaves. Missouri Department
of Conservation (MDC) biologists and other public land managers work to reduce
bush honeysuckle in the Kansas City area because its prolific growth chokes out
native plants valuable for their beauty and wildlife habitat.
Bush honeysuckle
is an import from Asia that produces leaves earlier in the spring and holds on
to them late in autumn. Some stands will still be green into December given
mild weather conditions, said Larry Rizzo, MDC natural history biologist. That
gives it a competitive advantage over many native plants. Plus, the plant’s
roots produce a chemical that inhibits the roots of other plants. The shrub grows
fast and produces bright red berries in fall that birds eat and then spread the
seeds.
But those
berries are not very nutritious for birds, Rizzo said. And bush honeysuckle
crowds out plants and trees that are good for birds and other wildlife.
“It’s like the
potato chips of berries for birds,” he said.
Volunteers
recently donated workdays to remove bush honeysuckle at several public parks in
the Kansas City metro area. Those projects are a partnership between MDC, the
non-profit Kansas City Wildlands, and municipal park agencies. The goal is
keeping harmful invasive plants out of high quality natural areas on public
lands.
But bush
honeysuckle is also harmful growing in yards and on acreages or farms. It often
sprouts up along fence lines and in brushy areas. Once started, it’s hard to
stop. Homeowners can help by spotting bush honeysuckle and removing it from
their property.
“It’s
really easy to identify right now,” said Erin Shank, MDC wildlife
biologist. “Our native vegetation is not
green anymore this time of year so bush honeysuckle really stands out.”
The plant’s
active state also makes it susceptible to treating its foliage with herbicides
if it remains green in November.
“You can do so with minimal to no damage to
native vegetation because natives are dormant and won’t uptake the chemical,”
Shank advised.
Foliar spraying
of honeysuckle is most effective on young to middle-aged stands that average
less than seven feet in height. The most efficient tool for foliar treatment is
a mist blower, which is most useful on areas larger than one acre. Foliar
spraying can also be accomplished less expensively with simple backpack sprayers.
Shank recommends a three percent glyphosate (Roundup) solution with an added
surfactant. Coat as much of the foliage as possible. Foliar spray when weather
forecast predicts dry conditions for at least four hours after treatment.
When plants are
over seven feet high, cutting and stump treating honeysuckle is necessary. This
practice can be done any time of year when the temperature is above freezing
though there is some evidence that mid-autumn timing may be more effective. Cut
stumps as low to the ground as possible, then treat the stump with 20 percent
glyphosate solution using a squirt bottle within 10 minutes. It is crucial to
treat the stump quickly after cutting. The low humidity conditions of fall
causes stumps to dry enough in a short time to inhibit the uptake of the
chemical to the root system. The cut surface of the stump should be lightly
coated; herbicide does not need to be dripping off the stump.
Once
bush honeysuckle is gone, what are some good ways to get green back into a
yard?
“There is a whole suite of native
plants that are great to replace it with,” Shank said. She suggests
American beauty berry, fragrant sumac, vernal witch hazel, wild plum, and choke
cherry to name a few. An excellent source of native plant alternatives
can be found at www.GrowNative.org.
These plants will also be far more beneficial to native wildlife than the
exotic bush honeysuckle.
Homeowners can help
win the war against the invasive bush honeysuckle, and now is the perfect time
to attack it. For more information on controlling bush honeysuckle, go to
http://mdc.mo.gov/node/5411.
Kansas City
Wildlands program has also developed a Honeysuckle Academy training program to
help homeowners associations or other groups battle the invasive species in
their neighborhood. For information, call (816) 561-1087.
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