Honeysuckle berries (Black Diamond) Traditional Cache

Honeysuckle Berries (Black Diamond)

Honeysuckle (Lonicera spp.) are common across the United States.

The two major classes of them include non-native Asian types and native North American varieties. You can also find cultivated hybrids for your home landscape. Both twining and bush forms feature large trusses of blooms in warm weather and are often fragrant. Honeysuckle blooms and their nectar are not poisonous. The berries of some species may be toxic only if ingested in large quantities.

Types

There are many subspecies of honeysuckle plants; some grow as vines and others grow in shrub forms. They can be evergreen, semi-evergreen or deciduous. Their blooms appear in pairs or clusters of tubular flowers beginning in spring. Berries will appear later in the season after bloom cycles. The blooms and berries of native species provide food and nesting habitats for many types of wildlife, including pollinators like bees and butterflies as well as birds.

Ingestion Risks

There is no danger in sucking or drinking nectar from honeysuckle flowers. Eating a few honeysuckle berries will likely only result in a bit of stomach upset. If large quantities of potentially poisonous berries are ingested, you may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and rapid heartbeat. In extreme cases, respiratory suppression, coma and death have been reported. As a result, human ingestion of honeysuckle berries is not advised.

Identifying Berries

Bush honeysuckle varieties (Lonicera spp.) usually feature yellow, orange or bright red berries. They appear in clusters along plant stems. Japanese honeysuckle vines (Lonicera japonia) produce berries that are black when ripe. The native trumpet honeysuckle, also called coral honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens), features small red berries that mature in autumn. Orange honeysuckle (Lonicera ciliosa) is a twining form, native to western areas of the United States. It also features red berries.

Ingestion Treatment

It is important to know the variety of honeysuckle in question if berries are ingested. One type, Lonicera fragrantissima, is not considered poisonous. If the variety is unknown and ingestion of berries is known or suspected, contact your local poison control center or seek emergency medical treatment as soon as possible. The California Poison Control Center instructs not to induce vomiting, but to remove any remaining plant material from mouth and hands, washing the areas and drinking a few sips of water. If medical attention is sought, take a sample of ingested material with you.

Summary

There is no danger in sucking or drinking nectar from honeysuckle flowers. Eating a few honeysuckle berries will likely only result in a bit of stomach upset. If large quantities of potentially poisonous berries are ingested, you may experience nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and rapid heartbeat.

The cache is a tied in, camoed, small pill bottle, with only a KET type log to start.

PLEASE: Take care of the bag, rubber band and log.

1.Roll the log tightly, secure it with the rubber band.

2. Put it in the bag and seal, starting from either edge.

3. The rubber band helps to keep the bag intact.

Thanks!