Entwined

Entwined portrays wild grape and Oriental bittersweet vines which are prevalent in the forests I frequent. These photographs evoke the fascination I felt as a child whenever I discovered these large serpentine vines clinging to the trunks or canopies of full-grown trees. At that time, these plants were awe-inspiring and a bit scary due to their death-like grip on the trees and their rhythmic movements in a strong breeze. Sometimes these characteristics fueled an idea that the vines possessed mythic, beast-like qualities. I worried about myself, never about the trees, though. As an adult I’m still fascinated by the dramatic growth patterns of these vines, but I am now aware of their deleterious and often fatal effects on the trees which I revere. Both vines are considered invasive, though the wild grape is a native while Oriental bittersweet was introduced as an ornamental to the United States from east Asia in the 1860s. The attractive bittersweet fruit has a yellow skin which splits in the fall exposing a fleshy scarlet center. Oriental bittersweet grows much faster than native American bittersweet which is far less common. Mature wild grapes have dark brown, shredding bark and the vines have pronounced tendrils used to climb and hang from tree branches in the overstory. Oriental bittersweet has tan or grey bark with a fish-net texture. A twining vine rather than a climbing vine, bittersweet lacks tendrils and grows upward in a helix, winding itself around a host plant. Birds and mammals feed on wild grape and Oriental bittersweet berries and spread the seeds. Wild grape seeds need more sunlight to germinate than bittersweet and can remain dormant in soil for a long time before germinating under the right conditions. The sudden, large-scale cutting of trees can allow wild grape to germinate and grow rapidly, becoming invasive. In some locations immature plants of both species are removed and mature vines are cut a few feet off the ground to curtail their growth. In several of the images the wild grape and Oriental bittersweet vines are twisted together, locked in combat as they seek the sunlight which they both need to flourish. As a tree lover I feel guilty enjoying the dramatic struggles and shapes of these vines and yet I temper this feeling knowing that their berries provide both food for certain birds and mammals as well as shelter. We ourselves are entwined with Nature and the vines are a stark reminder that our actions can have major consequences in the natural world. In their own way the vines provide us with valuable lessons.