A Virtual Tour of the Gorge at Buttermilk Falls State Park

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Asian (oriental) bittersweet (Celastrus orbiculatus) is considered by many who work in invasive species management to be one of the most pernicious, hyper-invasive, terrestrial species ever brought to the shores of North America. This woody vine can flourish in sun or dark shade, dry or damp habitats. It climbs trees, eventually blanketing and killing them. It twines around younger trees, strangling them. No tree is too tall to be destroyed by this species. In the absence of trees, bittersweet spreads over the ground, smothering everything in its path. It can transform a beautiful, North American woodland into a mono-culture, tropical jungle.

The image shown above serves as an example of what it can do, if left unchecked. So far, countless acres of lower Buttermilk Falls State Park have been destroyed by oriental bittersweet. If no action is taken to contain this plague, Buttermilk Park will look very different in 25 years.

It isn't clear how bittersweet reached the park. It was probably introduced decades ago, intentionally or inadvertently as a consequence of logging or sand excavation.
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