When you want to grow any plant in your garden, you have to know whether any animal eats that plant or not. On the other hand, if you own a deer, you have to know about its food habits. Honeysuckle is a colorful flowering plant. You might see honeysuckle around your area.
So, you might be confused about whether deer eat honeysuckle or not. However, you have to know about the ingredients of honeysuckle and whether deer like these ingredients or not. Moreover, you have to know about different types of honeysuckles and their properties.
Do deer eat honeysuckle?
Deer eat honeysuckle. Generally, deer love to eat fertilized honeysuckle. They will even eat honeysuckles wherever they get these plants. But some honeysuckles are deer-resistant. Deer don’t like these resistant plants. So, you have to know details about honeysuckles and their properties.
However, honeysuckles have different types. All honeysuckles are not suitable for deer. Some honeysuckles are deer-resistant. So, you have to know which honeysuckles are suitable for deer. Let’s see whether deer eat these honeysuckles or not.
Honeysuckle bush:
Deer love to eat honeysuckle bush. Honeysuckles are attractive and delicious to them. Even these plants can provide useful nutrients to deer. So, honeysuckle is safe for deer.
Japanese honeysuckle:
Japanese honeysuckles are another type of honeysuckle plant. Deer also eat Japanese honeysuckle. These honeysuckles provide protein to deer. Even deer can get 9- 16% protein from these plants every year. So, Japanese honeysuckles are perfect for deer.
Cape honeysuckle:
Cape honeysuckle is deer-resistant. So, deer will not eat cape honeysuckle. Generally, cape honeysuckle doesn’t have the ingredients that attract deer. So, this type of honeysuckle is not suitable for deer.
Coral honeysuckle:
Coral honeysuckle is also deer-resistant. So, deer will not be attracted to this plant. Moreover, coral honeysuckle is not tasty to them. So, deer will not eat coral honeysuckle.
Amur honeysuckle:
Deer cat eats amur honeysuckle. Amur honeysuckle is not deer resistant. But all deer don’t eat this type of honeysuckle. White-tailed deer eat amur honeysuckle the most. So, amur honeysuckle is not completely deer-resistant.
Trumpet honeysuckle:
Trumpet honeysuckle is not completely deer resistant. Some deer like to eat trumpet honeysuckle. But all deer don’t like to eat this type of honeysuckle.
Wild honeysuckle:
Wild honeysuckle can be of many types. But deer like to eat honeysuckle most times. So, they will eat honeysuckle wherever they find this plant. Some of the wild honeysuckles might not seem tasty to them. But most deer like to eat wild honeysuckle.
Dwarf honeysuckle:
Deer can eat dwarf honeysuckle. Generally, dwarf honeysuckle has the same compounds as other honeysuckles. But this honeysuckle is small in size. So, there will be no problem for deer to eat this honeysuckle. That’s why deer eat dwarf honeysuckle.
Major wheeler honeysuckle:
Major wheeler honeysuckle is deer-resistant. So, deer will not eat this type of honeysuckle. Generally, major wheeler honeysuckle has bright flowers that might attract deer. But deer don’t find this honeysuckle suitable for them. That’s why deer don’t eat major wheeler honeysuckle.
Gold flame honeysuckle:
Gold flame honeysuckle is also deer-resistant. So, deer try to avoid this plant. This plant might look like other honeysuckles, but deer will not eat gold flame honeysuckle.
Do whitetail deer eat honeysuckle?
Yes, whitetail deer eat honeysuckle. They love to eat different honeysuckles. They will even eat this plant to the ground. Moreover, whitetail deer like to eat honeysuckles that are fertilized.
For example, whitetail deer like Japanese honeysuckle the most. They will eat this honeysuckle wherever they find it. So, if you have honeysuckle in your area, you will see whitetail deer eating the plant.
Amur honeysuckle is another favorite honeysuckle for whitetail deer. Among all types of deer, whitetail deer eat Amur honeysuckle the most. So, if you want to keep your area deer-resistant, you should avoid growing Amur honeysuckle.
But whitetail deer are famous for eating honeysuckle. They will eat most types of honeysuckles. If you want to feed them, you can choose Japanese honeysuckle or Amur honeysuckle.
Is honeysuckle poisonous to deer?
No, honeysuckle is not poisonous to deer. Some honeysuckles might be deer-resistant because of some properties. But honeysuckle is not poisonous. Even deer will eat honeysuckle regularly.
For example, Japanese, Amur, Trumpet, etc., honeysuckle are suitable for deer. They will eat these honeysuckles without any problem. But some honeysuckles are problematic for them.
For example, deer might lay down in mounds of honeysuckle vines. This might cause them ticks and can carry Lyme disease. Sometimes, honeysuckle can cause stomach upset. But honeysuckle doesn’t cause any dangerous problems.
So, if deer eat honeysuckle, they will not face any dangerous disease. They might face problems sometimes, but those are temporary. That’s why honeysuckle is not poisonous to deer.
Do deer eat these parts of honeysuckle?
Deer don’t eat all the parts of honeysuckle. Some parts might be suitable for them. Some parts are not tasty to them. So, let’s see whether deer can eat these parts of honeysuckle or not.
Honeysuckle berries:
Deer eat honeysuckle berries. Generally, honeysuckle plants are safe for deer; their berries are also safe for them. But deer-resistant honeysuckle plant berries are not suitable for deer.
If deer consume a large number of honeysuckle berries, it might cause digestive problems. So, deer should eat a limited amount of honeysuckle berries.
Honeysuckle plants:
Deer eat honeysuckle plants. Even they love this plant. Whenever they find honeysuckle that is not deer-resistant, they will eat that plant to the ground.
Some honeysuckle plants are deer-resistant. These plants will not attract deer.
Honeysuckle vines:
Deer can eat honeysuckle vines. But they don’t eat vines of deer-resistant honeysuckle. If the plant is suitable for deer, they will eat that plant’s vines.
Three reasons why deer eat honeysuckle
Now that you know deer eat honeysuckle, you might want to know the reasons. Let’s see why deer eat honeysuckle.
Taste:
One of the main reasons for deer eating honeysuckle is the taste of the plant. Generally, the taste of this plant is attractive to deer. Some honeysuckle might be deer-resistant. Otherwise, deer like the taste of honeysuckle.
Smell:
Another important factor is the smell of honeysuckle. Before eating, the smell is the essential thing that attracts animals. Deer like the smell of honeysuckle plants. That’s why they come to eat honeysuckle.
Protein:
Honeysuckle provides protein to deer. Even a large portion of annual protein for deer comes from honeysuckle. That’s why honeysuckle is included in their food habit.
What honeysuckle is deer resistant?
All honeysuckles are not suitable for deer. Some are deer-resistant. Deer are not attracted to these honeysuckles. So, let’s see what honeysuckle is deer-resistant.
Coral Honeysuckle:
Coral honeysuckle is one of the deer-resistant honeysuckles. This plant is known as Lonicera sempervirens. This plant has beautiful colored flowers with evergreen leaves. But this plant doesn’t attract deer. So, deer will not eat coral honeysuckle.
Cape honeysuckle:
Cape honeysuckle is another deer-resistant plant. The ingredients of this honeysuckle are not attractive to deer. So, they will not come to eat cape honeysuckle. That’s why cape honeysuckle is not suitable for deer.
Boxleaf honeysuckle:
Boxleaf honeysuckle or Lonicera nitida is a deer-resistant plant. It has berry-like black fruits and beautiful flowers with fragrance. But these don’t attract deer. So, deer will not eat boxleaf honeysuckle.
Privet Honeysuckle:
Privet honeysuckle is also known as Lonicera pileata. This honeysuckle has white flowers. But this plant and its fruits are not suitable for deer. So, the privet honeysuckle is deer-resistant.
What animals are attracted to honeysuckle?
Honeysuckle plants have different varieties. But most varieties have beautiful and colorful flowers. Moreover, this plant also produces berries. Honeysuckle also spreads beautiful fragrances that attract animals.
But all honeysuckle is not edible to animals. Some honeysuckle can be unsafe. Moreover, consuming a large amount of honeysuckle plant or its berries can cause problems. For example, if an animal eats too many honeysuckle berries, it might face digestive problems.
Also, all animals are not attracted to honeysuckle. So, let’s see what animals are attracted to honeysuckle.
- Deer
- Elephant
- Birds
- Bats
- Honey Bees
- Bumblebees
- Cats
- Flies
- Insects
Final Thoughts
Generally, honeysuckle is edible for deer. But all honeysuckles are not suitable for deer. Some honeysuckles are deer-resistant. But most honeysuckle plants, vines, and fruits are suitable for deer. But deer should not eat too many of them. Overeating might cause digestive issues.