Le chèvrefeuille [sheh-vruh-FUH-yuh) is the French name for what we call honeysuckle in English. It has colonized one section of the bay laurel hedge around our back yard. It also grows on the north side of our yard, which is a strip of wooded land that seems to have no owner. That's where I took these photos, I believe, in November 2016. There are 200 species of the plant, says Wikipédia, growing in temperate and sub-tropical zones of the northern hemisphere. The berries of most are toxic, but not all. They add color to our autumn environment.
The name chèvrefeuille derives from the Latin name caprifolium (feuille de bouc or "buckleaf"). One article I just read says goats (chèvres) were to thought to enjoy eating young honeysuckle leaves in the spring. Another says that male roe deer, called chevreuils, ate honeysuckle leaves and probably ended slightly inebriated as a result.
The larvae of a lot of moths, butterflies, and other insects feed on honeysuckle. I've tried in past years to get the invasive vine to stop growing in our laurel hedge, but I've given up now. The landscape gardener whose crew comes and prunes the hedge every year told me he doesn't know how to get chèvrefeuille out of a hedge like ours.
People who write about plants in French culture say that honeysuckle symbolizes friendship and love.
I like this set of pix, especially the macro ones.... the colour of the leaves of the dogwood complements the red of the honeysuckle.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Tim.
Delete(Hmm.... my last comment just stalled during the publishing phase... I'll try again.)
ReplyDeleteIt's always interesting to hear about the origin of these words you give us. Thanks :)
Judy
I never realized that these berries came from honeysuckle. These are nice fall photos.
ReplyDeleteI didn't either, until very recently. I read that some species of honeysuckle have black berries, and maybe white ones.
DeleteEnjoying these lush reds!
ReplyDeleteAutumn is so colorful - beautiful season of the year.
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