Welcome daubs of winter crimson.
On a drab overcast day, spying a bright pop of cardinal orange in the thicket is a happy occasion. Celastrus scandens, American bittersweet, hangs in splashy orange-red clusters in the tangle beside the trail. Native bittersweet loves to climb, winding itself around trees and offering its sweet berry-like fruits to birds all winter long.
“Memories even bittersweet ones are better than nothing.”
Jennifer Armentrout
Unfortunately it has a bitter invasive cousin, Celastrus orbiculatus, almost identical in appearance, which is running amuck in the wild. When this vine climbs a tree, it vigorously winds around and chokes the tree, eventually killing it or causing breakage from the weight of the vines.
Fortunately Three Rivers Park District which manages my trail is actively monitoring and removing the dangerous, aggressive pretender.
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