It really doesn’t matter what time of year, Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) seems to always be gorgeous. This flowering vine is native to Florida and can reach lengths of 15 to 20 feet. Used as a groundcover and as a climbing vine, Coral Honeysuckle is evergreen and nearly ever-blooming.
Flowers of Coral Honeysuckle are trumpet shaped and are a bright flashy red in color. These flowers are attractive to nectaring butterflies (from my own observations, especially sulphurs) and also to Ruby-throated Hummingbird (Archilochus colubris). The local hummingbird population at MOSI seems to favor Coral Honeysuckle and Firebush (Hamelia patens) above all other plants in the gardens. This vine produces a bright red berry in the late fall and winter. These berries are a great snack for populations of songbirds.
Coral honeysuckle is a host plant for the amazing little Snowberry Clearwing moth (Hemaris diffinis) and also for the Spring Azure Butterfly(Celastrina "ladon") which can be found in extreme northern Florida and portions of the Panhandle.
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