Kitty will love it!
A rainy, warm spring has brought explosive growth along the trail. Seems like overnight a stretch of trail has remodeled itself into a floral tunnel, dense walls of honeysuckle rising up on both sides almost ten feet high. Pretty pink flowers and a sweet fragrance invite you to slow your pace, breathe deeply and stroll easily through the shady space.
“I sat me down to watch upon a bank With ivy canopied and interwove with flaunting honeysuckle.”
John Milton
But in spite of its beauty and fragrance, the exotic Tartarian Honeysuckle gracing this section of the trail is an invasive. It grows aggressively, leafs out earlier and stays that way later than most other shrubs, robbing sunlight, moisture and nutrients from other plants in the understory. Once it becomes established its voracious appetite and hardiness inhibits biodiversity in a natural area. Darn!
But how about this? If you break off a branch and take it home, your cat will be delighted! The wood contains a compound called actinidine that will cause kitty to drool, lick, hug, rub it on his chin and face and roll around all over it. It’s a natural, non-toxic cat toy that evokes uninhibited playfulness.
Tartarian Honeysuckle—love it or hate it? Pretty flowers, sweet aromas, shade and feline enrichment... and complete domination.
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