Mediterranean honeysuckle (Άγιόκλημα το περίπλοκο)

Description:

The beautiful, delicate pink honeysuckle flowers of Lonicera implexa appear in April and May amongst the shrubs and bushes along the edge of tracks and roads. As the latin name suggests the stems twine around each other and the surrounding twigs and branches, allowing the flowers to stand above the surrounding vegetation. The tubular flowers with stigma and stamens protruding from the open end, are arranged in groups of 5 or more, radiating from a central point surround. It attracts insect pollinators: bees in daytime and hawk-moths, with their long tongues, at night. Spotted in Kassandra peninsula, Chalkidiki, Greece.