Here's another leftover from the New York trip. Marie wanted to show me some fantastic vines she had found. They were curling all over the woods, and each other.
When the vines got large, the bark broke into clear diamond shapes.
I had no idea what it was. I kept trying to find some leaves that actually went with the vines. I finally found some way up high. The camera helped me pull them closer.
They weren't any help. With a bit more hunting we found some leaves closer, and discovered that the plant was actually in bloom. Here are the little green flowers.
I was totally mystified. I didn't even know where to start looking! Thanks to the internet, searching for large curling vines soon led me to the answer.
This is an alien bittersweet, Celastrus orbiculatus. Sometimes it's called Oriental or Asian bittersweet. In the fall, it will have the orange fruits familiar on the native bittersweet. But the problem is, it will grow all over anything, even large trees, and strangle them all.
Bet I won't forget this one!
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10 comments:
These crawling things are very common over here at Cerok Tokun.
Very attractive trunkage and greenery. Shame they choke other things!
Very attractive trunkage and greenery. Shame they choke other things!
wow, that stuff gets huge vines on it. I thought that was a tree trunk at first and I thought how cool they way it's twisted around itself. It's very cool looking but don't care for things that choke out other plants
That is a most interesting vine. Like Ann, I first thought it was a weird kind of tree.
Beautiful natural sculptures.
Northern version of the kudzu that ate the South? Behavior-wise, I mean.
Kind of creepy/cool, right?
Oh--I thought of you today! I saw one of my "teen" praying mantis. Gosh, they are getting BIG!
Interesting vine. Hope it's not major invasive.
rainfield- It wouldn't be alien there!
Glynis- yes, lots of visual interest
Ann- I think it's a bigger problem in the east, like where I saw it, but people are still planting it
Chuck- it gets as big around as a tree!
John- there were even more, I just had to choose a couple of pix
vanilla- I think the Japanese knotweed is trying for that distinction
Lin- It was pretty weird- biggest vines I've ever seen. Hoooray for teenage mantises!
Jean- I think it is in some places. It had pretty much taken over this section of Esopus Creek.
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