This shrub is still a surprise to me each time it blooms. The Bloodroots is fading and the Trout Lilies is gearing up. The forest trees are displaying tiny yellow, green or red pinpricks along their branches. This is a hint at the upcoming leaves. It’s still early spring. As I walk along the path, I see fly honeysuckle. ( Lonicera Canadensis is already leafed and has just begun to bloom.

It appears to be struggling for survival.

It is not the same as its Non-native cousins invasive Fly honeysuckle does not seem to be very vigorous. This shrub is described scrawny or scraggly in the few reference works that I have seen. The ones in my woods used to make me think they were struggling for survival, but that may just be the way it is.

All shrub honeysuckles-including the invasive ones-have opposite leaves and paired berries, but there is an easy way to figure out if it’s fly honeysuckle.

Leaves have small hairs on the edges. Click on the image to enlarge if you cannot see them.

The clues that you can use to determine the source of the problem are: Honeysuckles from alien species are just beginning to leaf out They are still a long way from flowering.

Fly honeysuckle prefers cool forests. It grows best near streams and ledges. No, I have no idea why it is called fly Honeysuckle. According to WildSeed project, mellitophilous and clearwing moths visit the flowers. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center attributes the visitation of flowers to hummingbirds and butterflies. Nobody mentions flies.

According to Brooklyn Botanic Garden, many different birds enjoy the berries: Ruffed Grouses, American Robins, Gray-cheeked Thrushes, Swainson’s Thrushes, Gray Catbirds, Cedar Waxwings, Cardinals, Purple Finchs, Goldfinchs, White-throated Sparrows, Mockingbirds and more.

The flowers have a delicate lilac tint and only open one at a time.

It’s easy to overlook their beauty because they are not many on each shrub.

This shrub is not a show-stopper, but every time I find it, I feel like a treasure hunter. This humble plant is often dismissed by field guides and reference books, but I find its modesty appealing.