Button Bush is a Honey Bush

 Button bush also known as Button Willow are in bloom at Lily pond. These native shrubs are commonly between six and twelve feet tall at maturity; but they can grow to be a small tree at thirty feet in warmer zones. At Lily pond they are on the smaller end of the height range.  They like their feet wet and so are at home in swamps, bogs, lowlands and along the edges of lakes ponds and streams. If you come across Button bush in your wanderings, you are most probably in a wetland area.  While their  leaves are poisonous and the bark bitter, they are known as a honey bush. Their blossoms contain generous amounts of very sweet nectar and pollen.  They are of particular value to honeybees as they bloom for an extended period of time when there is a relative shortage of other nectar producing plants.  I suspect that it is no coincidence that many of our cherished butterflies make their appearance here in Vernon when the Button bush is in bloom. In addition to our insect pollinators benefiting from its abundant pollen and nectar, shorebirds and waterfowl feed on Button bush seeds that ripen in the fall and persist into the winter months.  -Norma Manning
Sources:
- Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
- Bee Culture Eastern Apicultural Society

Close up of the Button Bush blossom

Button Bush leaf, stem and blossom

Button Bush in an area that is often flooded at Lily pond

Button Bush at the eastern edge of Lily pond