Oriental Bittersweet

Description:

Twining woody vines. It is thick, twisted and strong. This is without the leaves and berries. The leaves come around May. In the fall a yellow seed pod opens up revealing a orange berry. The berries show up around September. The flowers are tiny and green and the fruit is red and grows in clusters from yellow leaf axils. It is an invasive species. It is spread all over because birds come and eat the berries from the bittersweet bunches and digests them. The remains scatter around and grow more. Resource from the National Audubon Society Field guide to New England.

Habitat:

Located on the woodland edges, on the banking of the beach on Little Chebeague Island, ME

Notes:

One of my teachers told me that many years ago a man came to Little Chebeague and planted Bittersweet all over the Island. Then, like in my description, the birds spread it around. Trail workers have been taking trips to the Island and slowly getting rid of the Bittersweet, so the other trees can stay healthy.