Why there is so much honeysuckle, future of Downtown, today's top stories | Daily Briefing

Cincinnati Enquirer

A street sign identifies the intersection of Honeysuckle Lane and Honeysuckle Drive in the Mt. Washington neighborhood of Cincinnati on Sunday, June 4, 2023

Happy Monday! I’m Erin Couch, a breaking news reporter for The Enquirer.

For today’s installment of our Just Askin’ series, in which readers give us their unGoogleable questions about Greater Cincinnati, we looked into our first botanical topic: How did our area end up with so much honeysuckle?

The shrub, not native to North America, found its way overseas when people at the time thought it looked pretty. Unbeknownst to our 20th-century predecessors, it’s an invasive species and isn’t exactly kind to surrounding plants and animals.

Ohio was actually the first place on the continent where botanists found and recorded the plant in scientific journals. And needless to say, the Queen City has been no exception to the shrub overgrowth.

So how did it get to this point? Where did it come from, anyway?

Click or tap here to find out how this plant spread. And spread. And spread.

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What else you need to know Monday, June 12

🌤️ Weather: High of 72. Clouds giving way to some sun.

🏢 'Future of Downtown': How to attend our event on June 15.

🏈 Jason Williams: How Bengals coach Zac Taylor wants his kids to remember him.

🚗 Using Uber or Lyft?New pick-up and drop-off zones have arrived in Over-the-Rhine.

🦋 Things to do: 85-plus things to do this week in Cincinnati (June 12-18). Choose wisely!

Before you go: We'll have Cincinnati Swifties 🎵 'ready for it' 🎵

Taylor Swift performed in Nashville, Tennessee, Friday, May 5, 2023.

In case you live under a rock, Taylor Swift is bringing her popular Eras Tour to Cincinnati's Paycor Stadium later this month.

The Enquirer is filled with Swifties. So, we will have you covered from all angles during the weeks leading up to the show and, of course, the two days she will be performing in the Queen City on June 30 and July 1.

Still need a hotel? We got you. Want to make sure you know all the chants and rituals for the show? Head on over to Cincinnati.com.

So make those friendship bracelets, Cincinnati. The Enquirer will have everything you need for when Taylor comes to town this month.

– 📰 Old school meets school. It's like the newspaper – only paperless 📰 –

Today's Top Stories

Cincinnati Reds' Elly De La Cruz, left, scores ahead of the tag from St. Louis Cardinals catcher Willson Contreras during the eighth inning of a baseball game Sunday, June 11, 2023, in St. Louis.

• Elly De La Cruz scores game winner as Cincinnati Reds beat St. Louis Cardinals, win series

Cincinnati police cordoned off access to the Kroger Marketplace in Oakley after a bomb threat Saturday afternoon.

• Six Cincinnati-area Kroger stores evacuated after bomb threats, police say

Grandma Joy smiles in Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park and gives a Shaka sign, which loosely means, "Right on."

• 93-year-old Ohio grandma overcomes loss, illness to inspire social media with world travels

Brenda Scott, 50, died Friday after she was attacked and set on fire last month at a home in Fairfield Township, police said.

• Woman dies nearly one month after being set on fire by boyfriend's son, police say

Jun 10, 2023; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Whitecaps FC forward Sergio Cordova (9) challenges FC Cincinnati defender Ian Murphy (32) during the second half at BC Place.

• What we learned from FC Cincinnati's grueling draw vs. Vancouver Whitecaps

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