Bittersweet and Multiflora Rose Berries

     Bittersweet vines and multiflora rose bushes have obvious, brightly-colored berries by the beginning of November in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, as elsewhere.  And these two fast-spreading species of plants have other characteristics in common, though they are not closely related.  They both are originally from Asia, and decorative where they grew and as indoor decor.  In fact, both species can be bought at some markets in fall.  They are bare of leaves in winter.  Both these species provide outdoor color in winter, and food and shelter for a variety of rodents and small birds.  They both flourish along the edges of woods, in hedgerows and along roadsides.  And they are most attractive when they grow side by side.
     These two kinds of vegetation are beautiful and interesting in winter, in themselves, but particularly so when birds such as American robins, eastern bluebirds, cedar waxwings and other species visit them to consume their berries.  The birds digest the pulp of those berries, but pass many of the seeds in their droppings as they fly here and there, thus spreading these two species of plants, and others, over the landscape.
     Though their warmly-colored berries are pretty and decorative, and provide some food and shelter for certain kinds of wildlife, these plants are invasive.  Bittersweet with their red or deep-orange berries that emerge from stiff, yellow petals early in November can quickly cover trees and shrubbery with their vines, perhaps shutting off sunlight enough to kill those host plants.  Thus this vine can lower the diversity of other kinds of plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife.  
     Multiflora rose bushes, that produce red berries, were originally planted to provide living fences to keep farm livestock confined to pastures.  But this kind of wild rose spreads rapidly in sunny habitats, which meadows are, and rapidly gets out of hand.  Canes of this rose arch up, over and down to the ground.  When the tip of each cane touches the soil, it sends roots into the ground, forming a new shrub.  In this way, multiflora rose bushes "march" across sunny habitats and take them over.
     However, certain kinds of birds have adapted to nesting in prickly multiflora rose thickets, including northern mockingbirds, brown thrashers, gray catbirds, northern cardinals, song sparrows, willow flycatchers, yellow warblers, common yellowthroat warblers and other species.  These thorny rose thickets are a blessing to those kinds of birds to raise young in with relative safety from predators.  And larger animals, such as red foxes, coyotes, opossums, skunks, cottontail rabbits and other kinds, can also find shelter under these bushes.   
     Like all forms of life, bittersweet and multiflora rose have good and not so good qualities.  But they are both in the United States to stay, no matter how we try to get rid of them.  So we may as well enjoy their beauties and intrigues.