Late last week, most of the BetterWorld DC-area team was out in the George Washington National Parway again helping the Nature Conservancy to cut back the invasive Amur bush honeysuckle, which is Asiatic (Lonicera maackii). This shrub causes numerous problems for the native plants and wildlife in Northern Virginia. It leafs out early in the spring and holds it’s leaves into winter, shading out plants underneath for a long period of time. It also chemically repels other plants from growing under it, displaces native food sources for birds and wildlife (birds eat the fruit, but it’s like junk food), and nesting birds are more vulnerable to predation in these shrubs due to the branching structure.
At Turkey Run, part of the George Washington Memorial Parkway, we cut both small and large shrubs, the largest like a small tree, at about 20 feet tall, and once the shrubs were cut we removed many thousands of berries to prevent saplings and spread of the seeds by wildlife. These were bagged and sent to the landfill. This plant was originally planting horticulturally, which is how it got to the U.S. For many years it was encouraged as wildlife food for birds, which in turn became a threat to birds, displacing their nutricious food sources and making their nest vulnerable to predators. It is still very common in many back yards.
Posted in: Volunteering
