Canada Honeysuckle – An Unsung Woodland Hero

Canada honeysuckle (Lonicera canadensis) also known as fly honeysuckle is one of those delightful early flowering woodland shrubs that is often overlooked. Small (to a height of only 5’ in ideal conditions) Canada honeysuckle has an open and sparsely branched habit and can be found in both open and shaded woodlands, sometimes in wet areas, sometimes in dry, a testimony to its adaptability. Its light green leaves are elongated and have a short petiole or stalk. Its stems are mostly smooth and unmarked. But what is best about this otherwise non-descript woodland shrub is, of course, its flowers. Developing in pendulous pairs beneath leaf axils, the flowers are fully developed usually by mid-May, about the same time as trailing arbutus or Mayflower is in full bloom. Canada honeysuckle flowers show a greenish tinge when first emerging and mature to a pale yellow. The flowers’ margins, always recurved or turned back, show a lovely rose pink. Canada honeysuckle’s flowering season is long-from May to August – and its fruit, when formed, is a large red berry. Its soil preference is somewhat acidic so if you are out wandering in the northern woods look for this under-appreciated forest dweller in mixed woods with a predominance of conifer growth.