"The purpose of creating this honeysuckle gown is to not only educate the community on the negative impacts of the invasive plant species and the importance of biodiversity for a healthy ecosystem, but also to encourage others to experiment with the physical properties of honeysuckle biomass, developing materials that can be used as an expressive medium for artists.
Background, Life History
Japanese Honeysuckle, (Morrow’s and Amur) are species native to Asia, being introduced to North America in 1806 for landscape ornamentals, wildlife cover and erosion control. By the 1900’s, bush honeysuckle became widely established as an invasive species affecting large areas all across the U.S. Presently, it occurs as far north as Illinois and Michigan, from Texas to Florida, and north to Massachusetts, New York and Ohio. In Missouri, the plant Is found sporadically through most if the state.
Impact
Because bush honeysuckles are not native plant species, there is no natural predator. Thriving in areas of neglect, they grow quickly, spread fast, and form dense thickets that crowd a wide variety of Missouri’s’ native habitats. The shrubs leaf out in early spring and remain late into fall prior to and after the growth of deciduous plants, giving them a competitive advantage for growth. Growing as tall as 20 feet, with leaves 2 to 3 inches long, its shading limits sunlight to understory shrubs and trees preventing the seedling of native plants and forest regeneration.
Bush Honeysuckles also competes for soil moisture and nutrients. The also may produce a chemical that inhibits native plants from growing. Its vines damage and destroy the understory and herbaceous layers of the land it invades, including: prairies, barrens, glades, flatwoods, savannahs, floodplains, and upland forests. Furthermore, the fruits of the exotic bush do not provide migrating birds with the high-fat diet that is needed for long flights.
Japanese Honeysuckle, (Morrow’s and Amur) are species native to Asia, being introduced to North America in 1806 for landscape ornamentals, wildlife cover and erosion control. By the 1900’s, bush honeysuckle became widely established as an invasive species affecting large areas all across the U.S. Presently, it occurs as far north as Illinois and Michigan, from Texas to Florida, and north to Massachusetts, New York and Ohio. In Missouri, the plant Is found sporadically through most if the state.
Impact
Because bush honeysuckles are not native plant species, there is no natural predator. Thriving in areas of neglect, they grow quickly, spread fast, and form dense thickets that crowd a wide variety of Missouri’s’ native habitats. The shrubs leaf out in early spring and remain late into fall prior to and after the growth of deciduous plants, giving them a competitive advantage for growth. Growing as tall as 20 feet, with leaves 2 to 3 inches long, its shading limits sunlight to understory shrubs and trees preventing the seedling of native plants and forest regeneration.
Bush Honeysuckles also competes for soil moisture and nutrients. The also may produce a chemical that inhibits native plants from growing. Its vines damage and destroy the understory and herbaceous layers of the land it invades, including: prairies, barrens, glades, flatwoods, savannahs, floodplains, and upland forests. Furthermore, the fruits of the exotic bush do not provide migrating birds with the high-fat diet that is needed for long flights.
