Small Shrub?

[cohan]

This has popped up in a garden bed, here, maybe in another spot as well-- at first I thought it was a native Symphoricarpos, but as leaves have developed, it is very different in shape.. no flowers seen yet, it is only a couple of years old.. feel it should be familiar, but have not pegged it-- nothing commonly seen wild in my area...

[Carolyn]

Could it be some sort of shrubby Lonicera? That would explain how it got there - seed in bird droppings.

[cohan]

Could it be some sort of shrubby Lonicera? That would explain how it got there - seed in bird droppings.

Thanks, Carolyn. The bird droppings are likely for sure-- I have dozens (hundreds? thousands?) of seedlings every year by that route, but being in the country they are largely native things, this is none of the native Loniceras. I know there are occasional non-native shrubby honeysuckles planted, I should go look up the leaves..

[Rick R.]

It looks like a Lonicera to me, too.  Winter buds would be pretty distinctive.

[GordonT]

It looks very much like the Haskap (Lonicera caerulea) we have growing here. We actually managed to get a harvest, this year,  before the shrubs were stripped of berries by Cedar Waxwings. We made sure to leave some for wildlife.

[cohan]

Thanks, Rick and Gordon.. I'll have to see what flowers look like when it gets there, though I probably need to move it first.... it is not a local native species.... guess a bird brought it from somewhere farther afield..