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St. Louis resident 'sues' invasive bush honeysuckle

The Missouri Department of Conservation says honeysuckle can affect lake and stream banks, marsh, fens, sedge meadow, wet and dry prairies, savannas, floodplain and upland forests and woodlands.
Missouri Department of Conservation

This week, in the hallowed halls of the historic Old Courthouse in St. Louis, a local woodworker sued a shrub.

In an educational mock trial held Wednesday, a jury heard the case against invasive bush honeysuckle. The plant was first introduced to the U.S. from eastern Asia in the 1700s and has since spread to at least 31 states, including Missouri.

<--break->“Plaintiff” Dale Dufer said he organized the trial as a lighthearted way to draw attention to the damaging effects bush honeysuckle can have on ecosystems. The woody shrub creates dense thickets, which can crowd out native flora.

“I’ve been dealing with bush honeysuckle in my own backyard for a number of years,” said Dufer. “Once I started removing it, I realized that it created a desert essentially in my backyard. There were no baby trees, there were no bushes.”

"Plaintiff" Dale Dufer, shown at right, reads a statement at the mock trial against bush honeysuckle on April 4, 2018. Dufer organized the event to help draw attention to the damaging effects the invader has on native plants.
Credit Shahla Farzan | St. Louis Public Radio
"Plaintiff" Dale Dufer, shown at right, reads a statement at the mock trial against bush honeysuckle on April 4, 2018. Dufer organized the event to help draw attention to the damaging effects the invader has on native plants.

Retired St. Louis City Circuit Court Judge Anna Forder presided over the mock trial, which featured “witnesses” specializing in plant conservation and restoration, including staff from Shaw Nature Reserve and Forest Park Forever.

Attorney Edward Heisel led the defense, arguing that many U.S. residents are immigrants, like bush honeysuckle.

“I would venture to guess that few, if any of us, can claim that our ancestors were from right here, Missouri,” Heisel said, to laughter from the audience. “Which makes me wonder if plaintiff would prefer that we, too, be removed.”

The 11-member jury disagreed, saying bush honeysuckle should be labeled as a noxious weed. Audience members cheered and waved handmade signs as Forder read the verdict.

Dufer said he hopes events like these can help people become more informed about the natural world and how they can work together to protect it.

“If you can make something like this — which is a very serious issue — fun, then people are maybe going to pay attention a little bit more,” Dufer said. “It’s like planting a seed and creating conversation.”

Over 60 people attended the educational mock trial at the historic Old Courthouse in St. Louis.
Credit Shahla Farzan | St. Louis Public Radio
Over 60 people attended the educational mock trial at the historic Old Courthouse in St. Louis.

Follow Shahla on Twitter: @ShahlaFarzan

Shahla Farzan is a PhD ecologist and science podcast editor at American Public Media. She was previously a reporter at St. Louis Public Radio.