Bittersweet

Have you ever seen bittersweet?  It's this vine that has little yellow shells that open up to reveal little red berries.  It's really pretty and great for decorating for the fall season.  They sell it at farm stands for about $5 for a small bundle.  My friend Tara's mother had some on her mantle a few years ago, and when I complimented her, she told me about a spot on the side of the road nearby where she cut it from.  The next time Tara visited she made my day by bringing a bunch she had cut on the way.  Since then, every time I drive by that spot, I look, and in the two years since, I've never seen it.

Cut to the other day when I was doing some dishes and looked out my window.  I saw this:

Hmmmm.... that looks like bittersweet.  So I ran outside, and sure enough it was.  The next day, I was telling Hubby about my revelation.  He says "Oh, that stuff?  It's growing all behind the pines, it's choking out all the trees, I've been trying to get rid of it for years."  Wait... WHAT?!? This has been in my yard for YEARS and I've been looking for it for YEARS?! Seriously!  So I ran outside behind the wall of pine shrubs to see for myself.  This is what I found:

Look at this gaggle of stuff!

This mature vine has probably been working on this tree for years:

And here is one singled out stem:

I just hit the bittersweet lottery!