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Bittersweet is oneof those plants that really shine in the fall. In late summer, the orange fruits form. Then in fall, the skin of the orange fruit splits open (usually into 4 parts), revealing bright scarlet seeds within. We are not the only ones to appreciate their bright fall color - they are an important food source for fall migrating birds, as well as the ones who stay with us through the winter. Bittersweet is a woody vine with a ropy appearance that tends to wrap itself around trees, as in the picture above. I've seen it most often on roadsides at low to mid elevation, especially in rocky locations. Our native Bittersweet has oval-shaped, toothed and pointed leaves. The flowers that appear in late spring are unremarkable - small and green, with 5 petals and 5 sepals.  We do have an alien form as well - the Asiatic Bittersweet, which looks almost identical but the leaves are much rounder, nearly circular. There are cultivated varieties too - I distinctly recall from childhood a shrubby variety in my mother's garden.