Deerness Valley, County Durham: For all its beauty, there is something sinister about honeysuckle, a vegetable boa constrictor lurking in the flora
An early morning walk before the heat of the day becomes oppressive. The woodland footpath lies in deep shadow, flecked with sunbeams. A familiar fragrance – honeysuckle – lingers in the cool, still air.
There are a few Lonicera periclymenum flowers at eye level, but most of the sweet, clove-like perfume comes from thousands of inflorescences that smother the crowns of a hazel and an oak overhead. Lit by glancing rays of the rising sun, they glow golden against a cloudless sky. It’s the finest display of honeysuckle blossom I’ve ever encountered. I trace its origin to a thick, gnarled old stem, rooted at the base of the hazel, ramifying up through its branches.
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Deerness Valley, County Durham: For all its beauty, there is something sinister about honeysuckle, a vegetable boa constrictor lurking in the floraAn early morning walk before the heat of the day becomes oppressive. T...
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