Vines

Climbing Forms of the Forest

Vines trace the edges between forest and field — linking ground to canopy, stone to sky.
They climb by tendrils, coils, or rootlets, finding light where trees once stood.
Some blaze with color in autumn; others fade quietly into the understory, holding the forest together by threads.

Virginia Creeper
*Parthenocissus quinquefolia*
Five-pointed leaves turn crimson in autumn, winding up trunks and stone walls with quiet insistence.

Wild Grape
*Vitis riparia*
Tangles along forest margins and riverbanks, its blue fruit feeding birds long after frost.

Poison Ivy
*Toxicodendron radicans*
Three leaflets, glossy and cautious — a familiar companion of wooded trails and river bottoms.

American Bittersweet
*Celastrus scandens*
A native climber with orange capsules that split to reveal bright red fruit — color against the gray of late fall.

Hog Peanut
*Amphicarpaea bracteata*
A delicate vine threading through grasses and shrubs, flowering softly before vanishing into autumn.

Virgin’s Bower
*Clematis virginiana*
White clusters spill over stream edges and fencerows — a cloud of seed tufts by first frost.