Lonicera sempervirens · Caprifoliaceae

Trumpet Honeysuckle for Birds

Trumpet honeysuckle (also called coral honeysuckle) is the native alternative to invasive Japanese honeysuckle: a slender twining vine whose red trumpet flowers attract hummingbirds and whose red berries feed quail, Purple Finch, goldfinch, Hermit Thrush and American Robin ¹.

The growing facts below come from the Wildflower Center's record for Lonicera sempervirens ¹; the native-plant rationale is Audubon's ²; hummingbird notes are from All About Birds ³.

Trumpet honeysuckle — red tubular Lonicera sempervirens flowers on a twining native vine — Photo: Melissa McMasters from Memphis, TN, United States, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

What trumpet honeysuckle looks like

A high-climbing, twining vine 3–20 feet long with smooth, glossy, paired, semi-evergreen leaves and clusters of red tubular blooms — red outside, yellow inside — followed by bright red berries about a quarter inch across ¹. The bark is papery, orange-brown and exfoliating ¹. It blooms March through June, and stems reach about 20 feet ¹.

What trumpet honeysuckle does for birds

The flowers attract hummingbirds, bees and butterflies; the fruits attract quail, Purple Finch, goldfinch, Hermit Thrush and American Robin ¹. All About Birds names honeysuckle among the tubular flowers Ruby-throated Hummingbirds feed at ³, and robins eat an enormous variety of fruit ⁴. It is also a larval host for the Spring Azure butterfly and Snowberry Clearwing moth, which means caterpillars — the food nesting songbirds need most ¹².

Native range and growing conditions

Native from southern Maine to Florida and east Texas, scattered inland to Illinois, in zones 6 to 9 ¹. It takes sun or part shade, medium water and various soils, rich preferred, both lime and acid ¹.

It needs light, good air circulation and adequate drainage to prevent powdery mildew, may need some structural help to begin climbing, flowers best with more sun, and tolerates poor drainage for short periods ¹.

Planting it for birds: native range and care

Check the native range before buying: the Wildflower Center record for this species lists the states and provinces where it occurs naturally ¹, and Audubon's zip-code native plant database narrows that to your area and the bird groups each plant attracts ². Once established, native plants generally need little maintenance and far less water than lawn, and they do not need the pesticides that make a yard poor bird habitat ².

Native plants are those that occur naturally in the region where they evolved, and Audubon calls them the ecological basis on which birds depend: without them and the insects that co-evolved with them, local birds cannot survive ². The scale matters — a native oak supports over 500 species of caterpillars where a ginkgo hosts five, and it takes more than 6,000 caterpillars to raise one brood of chickadees ². Most nursery landscaping plants are alien species, so choosing natives is the single landscaping decision with the clearest effect on bird populations ².

Birds this plant supports

Plants for ruby throated hummingbirds →Plants for american robins →ruby throated hummingbird profile →american robin profile →

More plant guides

Cardinal Flower →American Elderberry →Canadian Serviceberry →Flowering Dogwood →Winterberry →Common Sunflower →Purple Coneflower →American Holly →Native plants for birds →Berry plants for birds →Seed plants for birds →Nectar plants for birds →Shelter plants for birds →

Frequently asked questions

Is trumpet honeysuckle invasive?

No — Lonicera sempervirens is native to the eastern United States, unlike the invasive Japanese honeysuckle; the Wildflower Center lists it as native in the lower 48 ¹.

Which birds eat trumpet honeysuckle berries?

Quail, Purple Finch, goldfinch, Hermit Thrush and American Robin, per the Wildflower Center; hummingbirds take the nectar ¹.

Does trumpet honeysuckle need a trellis?

Usually some support to start climbing; it twines to about 20 feet and flowers best in more sun ¹.