This is multiflora rose. It seems to be everywhere. The pictures are from my backyard, taken during the first week of June 2006, but you can see in it the Parklands, in fields, along roadsides and maybe in your yard. The Audibon wildflower book says, "This small-flowered Rose is sold as a living hedge by nurseries. [Wouldn't want to buy a dead hedge, I suppose.] It forms dense, impenetrable masses and provides excellent wildlife cover; however, it has also become a pest in many areas, spreading into fields and pastures."  It flowers in May and June.    The New England Wild Flower Society lists the multiflora rose, a native of eastern Asia, as an invasive species, and they say, "While certain songbirds have benefited, other plant and animal species have been displaced. Despite its attractions, introduction of Mulitflora Rose seems to have been an expensive mistake."                    Wildflower Menu             Next               HOME