Honeysuckle

Driving home yesterday, with the windows rolled down, the scent of blooming honeysuckle filled my car. It overpowered the smell of truck exhaust and hot asphalt. The blooms were everywhere, piling over guard rails and berms, roadsigns and trash. The sweet smell brought back memories of summers, pulling the flowers off the bushes, carefully pulling the pistil out to catch the single drop of nectar hidden inside. I know that, at least in Ohio, honeysuckle is considered a nuisance and encroacher, crowding out native plants. But no native plant smells as sweet or blooms so lavishly for so long, with food for bees and cover for rabbits and birds. I find it hard to accept the need to pull it down when it brings it's own gifts to the world's table. I am glad it is a hardy plant, growing back, reclaiming it's place. Honeysuckle brings joy on a warm day and a welcome savor for a long drive home.