American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) with a beautiful clear blue sky as a backdrop.
The reason I included the botanical name is because this innocent vine is often confused with oriental bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus), which gives this one a BAD name. The oriental variety -- though almost as beautiful as the native vine -- is invasive and sometimes even kills trees. The two look a lot alike, but the invasive variety usually has leaves that are more pointed yellower husks whereas the native is more orangey.Both bittersweets are beautiful in fall arrangements, the reason the Oriental variety was planted in North America in the first place. However, if you use the Oriental variety make sure that when you toss them out you dispose of them where they will not sprout.
Shiny green leaves in spring turn yellow in fall, then fall off leaving orange berries loved by many birds such as bluebirds and robins. However, the berries are poisonous to humans.
To join in the Sky Watch fun, which features skies from all around the globe, visit the Sky Watch blog at http://skyley.blogspot.com
102 comments:
Beautiful contrast in colors! Thanks for the information on the different types of Bittersweet. I love to learn something new every day!
Great photo and terrific color.
Great information also.
I enjoyed this post a lot.
Troy
I love the pictures. Fantastic colors. Did you do any post processing in Photoshop or the like to bring out the color, or is that straight from the camera?
Wonderful bright shots. And I didn't know that about the two different kinds, nice to know!
Beautiful sky, and I LOVE the bittersweet in front of it!
I love any berry-bearing fruit/vine/tree during the fall and winter season. But your shots are outstanding. I thank you for the text too.
A great sky watch post, we have had those in arangements and I never knew what they were.
That was some spesial photoes. Have a nice weekend:)
Alvis,
No I did nothing to doctor either photo except to downsize the number of pixels so it wouldn't take forever to come up on your monitor. ;-)
What a contrast between the red of the berries and the blue sky!
You asked me about "my" berries, but I don't know their name. I found them in a garden I passed. They were the size of Rowan-berries.
Oh How PRETTY!!
BEAUTIFUL PHOTOS!
have a nice weekend!!
Wow, the red just pops, the color so vivid! Perfect! Happy skywatch :)
So patriotic and beautiful with the red, white and blue! Thanks for the explanation on the differences. I don't believe I have ever seen either type.
Sorry about your whole hurricane downer...
Wow fantastic pic as always. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers!
Regina In Pictures
Spectacular. And luscious. I love it.
Such capturs of colours.
Beautiful photos. We don't have bittersweet here, that I'm aware of. I'll have to keep my eyes open.
Wow what beautiful colors...I love the contrast of the vibrant red against the blue sky!!
And yes the information was terrific also. I had no clue!!
Happy SWF:-)
Those are stunning shots. So beautiful.
Beautiful photos and a very informative text as well.
Fantastic photos!
What beautiful photographs! I love the red and the branches against that wonderful blue sky!!
Amazing photos, with marvellous colours and beautiful subject!
In the my blog it exists something for you!
I like the way the berries are sort of naturally quartered - bite sized slices for our feathered friends! :D
Tink *~*~*
My Mobile Adventures *~*~*
The contrasting colours are beautiful, and I can't choose between the two which one I like best! A lovely fall photo either one, thank you for sharing.
What lovely berries this bush has. They are so colourful against the blue sky.
How gorgeous! Our skies are dark grey today and there's been heavy precipitation...*sigh*
The blue does make a wonderful backdrop for the red. Nice shots.
:-)
EG: You did a wonderful job of capturing the plant and sky. Did you do a red, white and blue post for the election?
Beautiful pictures,lovely colours!
I learned something new today which makes it a good day. Beautiful pictures for Skywatch. All your photos are exceptional.
Bittersweet makes a lovely additon to fall and even Christmas outdoor and indoor decorations. Lovely sharp colours by the way.
Both are just wonderful! I wish I had more red in my garden!
I love the bright colors here. Fantastic shots!
Beautiful shot and colors.
Thanks for info.
Thank you for these fantastic photographs and the additional information on bittersweet. Happy SWF and I wish you a nice weekend.
- celine
http://indicainq8.wordpress.com
Bright and close, they are real eye-catchers. Interesting info too.
Ooh - by the title of your post I thought you were going to tell us you weren't skywatching anymore! So glad you simply took pictures of bitter sweet. That's much better. And the pictures are great.
Beautiful colours. Beautiful and dangerous, eh...LOL.
Sharon
Lovely! That wonderful orange against the blue sky. I have neither of those today.
I don't know that I've ever seen Bittersweet before so this is pretty interesting as well as arrestingly beautiful. You always have something wonderful to see.
Great series of photos, the first Bittersweet is incredible!
turrfic! you have a beautiful sky watch.
the contrast is wonderful!
Too bad the berries are poisonous... they look delicious!
love the closeup shot!
Don't think I've seen those trees before. Very interesting and a great skywatch shot. Love your sepias from yesterday.
Gorgeous photos, especially the top one. I've been looking for a source for American native bittersweet to plant for the bluebirds to enjoy. Any idea where I can get it?
Both photos are excellent but the first one is exceptional. The colours and everything about it are just superb. Thanks for posting.
what beautiful colors I dont think I have ever seen that plant before (must not grow in the south) fantastic sky watch photo!
Thank you for visiting me :)
Have a wonderful weekend!
Laura
not only a great photo BUT the information is FAB
These photos show the wonderful contrast in the colour between the sky and the bittersweet. I didn't know that there were different kinds of bittersweet either. Thanks for visiting my SWF! Have a wonderful weekend!
Very, very beautiful. I love the contrast in colors.
Wow - talk about POPPING COLOR!!!
Great photo for Sky Watch Friday!!!
Very pretty, Ms. Guide. We don't have the bittersweet plants in our Southeastern region of Texas.
Happy SkyWatching!
..
That certainly is a clear blue sky backdrop -- all the more noticeable because of the contrast with the bittersweet.
Very beautiful. I always liked bittersweet in fall and winter arrangements. Great shots. The orange and bright blue are wonderful. MB
Perfect shots.
Paz
Love your shots! happy skywatching!
My Skywatch
Oh, you have given me my New England Autumn fix!(Even though you live in Cananda!) I have such fond memories of this vine twining around the railings of our porch when I was young. What an awesome photo! Absolutley perfect! Thanks for stoppping by to say HI!
A wonderful capture that I'm sure brought smiles to all that viewed this picture :)
Great photo. The berries are such a pretty color.
One of my favorite Autumn colors, and I did find some wild Bittersweet last week. Thanks for your bit of history. I hadn't realized there were 2 different kinds. The one I found has yellow husks, and pointed leaves.
Gorgeous colors! The bittersweet really stands out against the sky.
nice pics have good weekend
I love the second shot! Amazing captures:)
Mine's, HERE. If you get a chance:)
Happy SWF!
The blue and red go well together. Nice choice for SWF.
You're right my trip to Hong Kong was fabulous; all the more so as my brother and his family live there so they took me to see things I might not have visited otherwise.
Magical autumn colors on beautiful pictures - thank you very much for your visit. Bye and greetings from Croatia.
Wonderful colors, great autumn pictures!
Beautiful sky !!
I imagine, as beautiful as the berries are they're not eatable. They're so tempting!
And a very clear macro.
It could have done a wonderful Ruby Tuesday too!
I planted my Bittersweet in the "wrong" place and am still dealing with its desire to populate that spot. It is a pretty set of berries you have there.
Poisonous or not, they certainly light up the landscape. Great choice and photos.
Love the color. Bittersweet is almost as pretty as a bouquet of flowers. BJ
very nice!
ooh what pretty red color! perfect Fall skywatch!
Gorgeous photo! That sky is so blue!! Fantastic photos!!
That berry has such a striking colour! Amamzing contrastwith the blue of the sky!
Lovely captures!
Have a nice weekend!
i love these photos of the bittersweet...the color captures me.
have a great weekend.
Fascinating information on the bittersweet...also, I love the bright color of the berries against the blue sky! wonderful photo!
Bittersweet is so beautiful...love that first shot.
thanks for the information, I loved your photos. This is the first time I see an american bittersweet and you captured them perfectly!
Happy Skywatch!
Great color contrast. I always pass on the bits of gardening info the DH - he enjoys your photo's as well.
Darla
This was very educational. The images are just perfect. Sharp, vibrant and so perfectly balanced.
wow, vibrant colors in the autumnal landscape....
What a gorgeous image!
The info was wonderful as well since I am not a plant person at all. :)
Beautiful photos and such an informative post. Always love learning something new. Thank you.
Beautiful photos and great post!
Very nice Bridges between post too :)
Colours are simply brilliant.
Looks very sweet to me .. ;-)
:-Daryl
Beautiful photos. I really like the contrast in colors. I also enjoyed learning a little about the varieties of bittersweet. :)
Great images with blue and red!
How about the blue skies we've been getting in Central Otnario all week!
A fellow Ontarian SWF gal
I always go and have a look at your previous photos. They are all just great and a pleasure to see. You are such a great photographer.
Wonderful skywatch, red and blue and information for people who live in your area. Happy weekend.
I love these! I like pictures with things in the foreground. Very nice!
Great shot !!
I love the bright colors in this photo!
I took a peek at your post for this week's Sepia Scenes, too. Just beautiful! I felt like I was looking at my Grandparents dining room. Nothing but sepia would do for this print.
My Skywatch Friday is Here
I've seen those, and not been sure what plant they were. Thanks for straightening that out for me.
the sky backdrop makes the bittersweet pop right out! lovely!
What a great set pallet of colors!
Happy SWF!
Take care.
How gorgeous pics with fresh orange and blue sky:)
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