Asiatic Bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is a silent assassin, albeit a beautiful one. This invasive, non-native killer is forming much of the yellow that we see in our trees now.
Those trees are its victims; they’re helpless as the Bittersweet squeezes them to death, winding its way like a python up toward the light. Even mighty spruce trees are being victimized.
The State of Maine has acknowledged that this nuisance is too far-gone to be eradicated; it grows too fast and is propagated too widely by birds that eat its beautiful berries.
But, the State has listed it as an invasive species that may not be sold or distributed here. There is a native version, aptly named American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens), that is environmentally innocuous. But, that’s another story. (Brooklin, Maine)