Bush Honeysuckle with Berries

Walking after dinner tonight I noticed some shrubs leafing out along the trail. Inspecting them I was disappointed to find Bush Honeysuckles, an invasive exotic from China.

You might wonder what I would have against such an attractive plant. The problem is they tend to overwhelm native shrubs and wildflowers. Much of suburban St. Louis is now carpeted with this shrub and not much else.

Matt, Justin and Jen work hard at to control invasive exotics at the Prairie Garden Trust; they are constantly on alert. Given how time and money we invest in keeping out exotics I was surprised to see these shrubs tonight.

It made me wonder if the controlled burns we are using could in any way contribute to their spread. The burns are a form of disturbance that exposes soil that may help with plant germination. Does anyone know if burns help bush honeysuckle spread?

Note: this picture was not from tonight, I took it in late summer when the shrubs have attractive red berries.