Honeysuckle!

The honeysuckle is blooming and my backyard is so fragrant it makes my eyes water. Sometimes I forget it's the flowers and when I am knocked over by a wave of sweetness I just assume one of the neighbors went overboard with the dryer sheets. It's THAT strong.

Honeysuckle is an insanely invasive vine. I'm constantly pulling it out of...well, everywhere. But it's a piece of my childhood and the birds like to build nests in it.

When I was a kid, my mother showed me how to pull the stamen out, collecting a drop of "honey". I don't remember if she licked the sweet drop off the fragile fibers, but I did. It's one of my earliest memories.

If I remember correctly, honeysuckle is one of the flowers that changes color after it's been pollinated. The flowers open white and change to yellow after the bees visit.

Now if I could just get it to stay on the fence.