I don’t know why this once common plant suddenly vanished
from the landscape. In just a couple of
years, dozens of thriving vines suddenly dried up and died. Some blame an exotic invasive relative of
outcompeting the native species, but I’ve yet to see the invasive vine anywhere
near here. This newly discovered
individual has penetrated nearly 18 feet into a White Pine. I hope it can manage to stay healthy.
The vine is about one inch in diameter at the base, so it
has to have been growing here for a few years.
In early November I harvested some of the fruit, hoping I
might be able to produce a few new vines.
When I checked the vine today, all of the fruit had been
consumed by birds.
All that was left were the sections of the orange colored
capsules that had once protected the fruit as it developed.
I found several seeds and fruit skins that had made the
quick journey through a bird’s gut.
Flesh of the fruit is digested, but seeds and skins pass through with
little visible effect. In most cases the
bird’s digestive juices will soften the seed coat and allow for rapid
germination in the spring. I collected a
handful of this processed seed and will see if germination is noticeably
greater than seed taken straight from the vine.
Maybe I can help American Bittersweet make a comeback here.
