Bells honeysuckle (Lonicera x bella)

Synonyms: Lonicera bella, Lonicera morrowii ? Lonicera tatarica

Common Names: Showy fly honeysuckle, showy honeysuckle, hybrid honeysuckle, pretty honeysuckle

Description:

Bell's honeysuckle (Lonicera ? bella) is an invasive shrub ? a garden-bred cross between two non-native bush honeysuckles, Morrow's honeysuckle and Tatarian honeysuckle [1]. It was planted for landscaping, wildlife, and erosion control, then escaped into the wild across the northeastern and midwestern United States [1][3]. MISIN tracks it because it forms dense thickets that crowd out native wildflowers, shrubs, and tree seedlings, and its berries are poor food for migrating birds [1][2].

Habit:

Bell's honeysuckle is a multi-stemmed deciduous shrub that can reach about 20 feet tall, often growing into a dense, arching tangle [1]. Its paired, tubular flowers are pink and fade to yellow with age, blooming in late spring (about May to June), and by summer it carries paired red-to-orange berries tucked where the leaves meet the stems [1]. The single most reliable check is to snap a young stem: invasive bush honeysuckles like this one are hollow in the center between the nodes, while native honeysuckles have a solid white center (pith) [1][2].

This shrub is easiest to spot in spring and fall. Its leaves come out one to two weeks earlier than most native plants and drop later, so in early spring it can be one of the only green shrubs in the woods, and in fall its leaves and bright berries stand out after natives have faded [1]. Look along forest edges, fence lines, old fields, and roadsides [1].

At-a-glance cues:

1. Young stems are hollow between the nodes ? native honeysuckles have a solid white center [1][2]
2. Paired tubular flowers, pink fading to yellow, in late spring [1]
3. Paired red-to-orange berries at the leaf joints in summer [1]
4. Leafs out earlier in spring and holds leaves later in fall than native shrubs [1]

Leaves:

1. Arrangement: opposite (in pairs along the stem) [1]
2. Shape: simple, oval to oblong, with a rounded base [1]
3. Margin: untoothed (smooth-edged) [1]
4. Surface: dull blue-green; undersides slightly hairy [1]
5. Size: about 1?3 inches (2.5?7.5 cm) long [1]
6. Seasonality: emerge 1?2 weeks earlier in spring and drop later in fall than most native shrubs [1]

Stems:

1. Habit: multi-stemmed, deciduous shrub up to about 20 feet (6 m) tall [1]
2. Pith: young stems are hollow between the nodes ? the key difference from native honeysuckles, which have solid white pith [1][2]
3. Young bark: light brown and slightly hairy [1]
4. Older bark: grayish-brown, shaggy, and shredding in vertical strips [1][2]
5. Roots: fibrous and shallow, and can send up suckers [1]

Flowers:

1. Color: pink, fading to yellow with age [1]
2. Shape: small, tubular, fragrant, and perfect (each flower has both male and female parts) [1]
3. Arrangement: borne in pairs in the leaf axils (where leaf meets stem) [1]
4. Bloom time: late spring, about May to June [1]

Fruit and seeds:

1. Type: small, round, juicy berries [1]
2. Color: red to orange, ripening through summer [1]
3. Arrangement: in pairs at the leaf axils [1]
4. Seeds: several per berry; readily eaten and spread by birds [1][2]
5. Dispersal: birds carry seeds far from the parent plant; the shrub can also cross back with its parent species [1]

Habitat:

Bell's honeysuckle grows in a wide range of places. It does especially well in sunny, disturbed spots ? forest edges, open woods, old fields, pastures, fence lines, and roadsides ? but it also moves into fens, bogs, and lakeshores [1]. It tolerates a broad range of light and moisture, which is part of why it spreads so easily across both dry uplands and damp ground [1].

The shrub is not native anywhere ? it is a hybrid of two introduced honeysuckles, Morrow's honeysuckle (from Japan) and Tatarian honeysuckle (from Eurasia) [1]. It was planted widely in North America for landscaping, wildlife cover, and erosion control, then spread on its own, and it is now naturalized across much of the northeastern and midwestern United States [1][3].

Reproduction:

Bell's honeysuckle spreads mainly by seed carried by birds. Birds eat the bright red-to-orange berries and drop the seeds far and wide, which is how new plants appear along fence lines, woodland edges, and under perches well away from any planted shrub [1][2]. It can also cross with its parent honeysuckles to form mixed "hybrid swarms," and cut or broken plants can resprout from the base [1].

A mature shrub produces large numbers of berries, each with several seeds, so a single bush can seed a wide area [1]. For control, timing matters: pulling or cutting plants before the berries ripen in summer keeps seeds from spreading, and removing isolated outlier shrubs first stops them from seeding new ground [1]. Because the roots are shallow and fibrous, small plants can often be pulled, but larger shrubs resprout if the root crown is left behind (see Management) [1].

Impact and Damage:

Bell's honeysuckle is mainly a problem for natural areas and yards rather than a direct danger to people. It forms dense thickets that shade the ground and use up soil moisture and nutrients, crowding out native wildflowers, shrubs, and tree seedlings, and it may also release chemicals that slow the growth of nearby plants [1]. Because it leafs out early and drops its leaves late, it gets a jump on native plants and deepens the shade they face [1].

It also hurts wildlife in less obvious ways. Its berries look abundant but are low in the fats and nutrients migrating songbirds need ? closer to junk food than the native fruits they replace [2]. And birds that nest in these low, open shrubs are easier for predators to find, which can lower nesting success compared with native shrubs [2][4]. Together, dense thickets plus poorer food and nesting make heavy honeysuckle stands a net loss for native plant and bird communities [1][2][4].

Similar species:

Bell's honeysuckle is easy to confuse with other bush honeysuckles, and the hollow stem is the best way to separate the invasive ones from natives.

Tatarian honeysuckle (Lonicera tatarica) is one of its parent species and looks nearly identical, with pink flowers, but its leaves are usually smooth and hairless underneath, while Bell's honeysuckle leaves are slightly hairy.

Morrow's honeysuckle (Lonicera morrowii) is the other parent, with densely hairy leaves and flowers that open white or pale and age to yellow, rather than the pink of Bell's honeysuckle.

Amur honeysuckle (Lonicera maackii) is another invasive bush honeysuckle, but its leaves are larger with long, tapered tips, and its white-to-yellow flowers and red berries sit on very short stalks tight against the stem.

Native fly honeysuckles (Lonicera and Diervilla spp.) are the key contrast ? their stems have a solid white center instead of the hollow pith of the invasive bush honeysuckles, and native bush-honeysuckle (Diervilla) has yellow flowers and dry capsule fruits rather than juicy berries.

Monitoring and rapid response:

Signs to watch for:

1. Multi-stemmed shrubs that leaf out early in spring and stay green late in fall, often the first green in the woods [1]
2. Paired pink-to-yellow tubular flowers in late spring, then paired red-to-orange berries in summer [1]
3. Snapped young stems that are hollow in the center ? confirming an invasive bush honeysuckle rather than a native [1][2]

What you can do:

1. Pull or dig out seedlings and small shrubs, removing the whole shallow root crown so they don't resprout ? easiest in spring when soil is moist [1].
2. Cut and bag berries before they ripen in summer to stop birds from spreading seed, and revisit the spot, since cut stumps resprout [1].
3. Tackle isolated outlier shrubs first to keep them from seeding new ground, then work toward the densest patches [1].
4. Natural area crews can clear larger infestations over repeat visits, combining mechanical removal with follow-up on resprouts, and prioritizing fruiting plants near intact natural areas [1].
5. Report sightings (below) to help track where this shrub is spreading [1].

When to call a professional:

1. Large, mature, or dense stands, or shrubs that resprout vigorously after cutting, where repeated removal isn't keeping up ? a land manager or licensed applicator can plan a multi-season approach [1].
2. For chemical control options, contact a licensed applicator or your local cooperative extension office.

Report sightings to MISIN. Help track this species' spread by submitting observations through the MISIN web site or the MISIN mobile app (Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS). Photos at multiple angles paired with a precise GPS location are the most valuable data for confirming new occurrences and triggering rapid-response review.

Credits:

1. Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Bell's Honeysuckle (Lonicera x bella). dnr.wisconsin.gov
2. Penn State Extension. Shrub Honeysuckles. extension.psu.edu
3. USDA NRCS PLANTS Database. Lonicera ?bella Zabel (Bell's honeysuckle). plants.usda.gov
4. Schmidt KA, Whelan CJ (1999). "Effects of exotic Lonicera and Rhamnus on songbird nest predation." Conservation Biology 13(6):1502?1506. semanticscholar.org

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