Hey there... I'm looking to identify what this bush/tree is. My honey bees are all over it. I find it strange that the "flowers" on this thing don't have any identifiable petals. Just 4 or 5 nodes of pollen. Butterflies seem to be feeding off it, leading me to believe there's definitely nectar coming from them.
It looks to me like Hedera hibernica, Atlantic ivy. You can actually see flower petals in your third photo - look at the cluster at the bottom right and you can clearly see two flowers with five little petals. That is supposed to be a vine, and though they can get thick trunks, they are not likely on their own to form a shrub. So either my ID is wrong (though I am pretty sure about this being a member of the Araliaceae family), I wonder if you can find a different shrub underneath.
Thanks for the reply :) What I meant by "petals" I meant in the more traditional sense when you hear the word "flower." The petals on these are just green (for the lack of a better term) leafy bits, like... peels from a pod bursting open. Not delicate, colored (other than green), extensions of the flower head itself. You did point me in the right direction. When I searched Atlantic Ivy, I looked at several pics until I found one that had the same flowers and leaves on it... Hedera Helix Hibernica
I believe you when you say you found that name on the internet, but Hedera helix (English ivy) and Hedera hibernica (Atlantic ivy) are two different species.
To many environmentally-minded people, including me, this is a horrifying example of ivy gone bad. Normally, Hedera helix (and H. hibernica) grows as a vine along the ground or clinging to vertical surfaces, rooting along the way. That's bad enough for the way it supresses other, often native, vegetation. Eventually, when there is no where else for it to grow, the plant becomes arborescent, ie. tree-like. It is at this adult stage (albeit beautiful) that its invasiveness really kicks in. Now it can bloom and produce seeds which birds eat and 'plant' far and wide. Once aborescent, ivy cannot revert to its wandering ways. In British Columbia, Washington and Oregon, ivy is a rapidly 'growing' problem in woods far from the suburban gardens where it originated. Ivy is a widespread problem in eastern US states as well. Responsible garden centres do not sell it anymore. https://www.swcd.net/invasive-noxious-weeds/english-ivy/ http://greenseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/English-Ivy-Brochure-Web-.pdf Ecological Threat Hedera helix is an aggressive invader threatening all levels of forested and open areas, growing along the ground as well as into the forest canopy. Vines climb up tree trunks and envelop branches and twigs, blocking sunlight from the host tree’s foliage, impeding photosynthesis. An infested tree will exhibit decline for years before it dies. The weight of vines also makes trees susceptible to blowing over in storms. This plant has been confirmed as a reservoir for bacterial leaf scorch (Xylella fastidiosa), which affects a wide variety of trees. Bottom line: Don't plant English Ivy!
Well... either way... which ever one it is, Helix or Hibernica, this horrifying example of ivy gone bad (lol) is supplying my honey bees with pollen and nectar rather close to the hive. I ended up moving back to family and brought my bees with me. At this juncture, even before I took my hive here... my mom would take potted plants that needed pollination, near to the ivy so the local pollinators would find them and do their thing. With my bees here now, all the more so =^_^=
In the narrow view, ivy has many redeeming qualities but there are lots of other excellent plants to attract bees or grow in the shade or cover the ground, etc. Did you have time to look at the websites I included in my previous message? It's hard not to conclude the negatives outweigh the positives. https://www.swcd.net/invasive-noxious-weeds/english-ivy/ http://greenseattle.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/English-Ivy-Brochure-Web-.pdf
I did in fact read through the link to the website. As much as it may be invasive, either my family's property is lucky enough that it hasn't spread all over the place, or they've been maintaining it for years now. The way I see it, it's job security for those landscapers who are paid to manage the population LOL. So it's not only economical for my bees, but also the people who manage it.
Okay - my last word on this subject. It is not the local spread of ivy that is the main problem. The real problem happens when ivy goes arborescent (as shown in your photo), flowers and produces seeds that birds then disperse far from the original planting. What is happening on the west coast is that the far-flung seeds germinate and grow far from populated areas and take over large areas of forest - to the detriment of the native ecosystem. No one, not even landscapers, can control ivy spread by seeds. I know that doesn't worry everyone but it does worry me.
If what you say is true (and I don't doubt it for a second), considering the many years these plants have been in the US region, the damage is already done. IF EVER there was a goal to eradicate wild growing ivy, it will be next to impossible, as there are likely already millions of acres throughout all of the country. And if it hasn't already, (where by I mean there has been PLENTY of time already) nature will adapt.
Many botanists have treated them as conspecific in the past, and a few still do. Not surprising to find websites that still do so. Identification between them is not at all easy, you need to examine the structure of the hairs on the undersides of the leaves. Genetically, H. helix is diploid, while H. hibernica is tetraploid. Both species can be invasive outside of their native areas; often H. hibernica is the more vigorous and invasive of the two. Where they are native (as where I am!), they are incredibly valuable nectar plants with abundant nectar supply late into the autumn when very few other plants are still flowering; they are used by a very wide range of insects. The fruit are also an important winter food resource for birds. Note that the correct vernacular name for H. helix is Common Ivy; it isn't specifically 'English'.
It's a resource for birds here too, hence the problem. How does that work in Britain - it doesn't damage trees or you don't get to complain about it because it's one of yours?
Generally, it doesn't damage trees. I guess all the insects etc. that eat it, keep it under control enough. Just occasionally, with an old tree that is failing anyway, ivy will 'take over' and build up enough weight in the tree's crown to make it topple in a gale, but it doesn't happen often.
