’Round these parts, venturing off the forest trail and into the brush is not without some risk. Poison ivy is common, Lyme-bearing ticks lie in wait, and the native vine Smilax rotundifola is more than ready to be a thorn in your side.
Should you have a run-in with the latter, you can at least exact a small measure of petty revenge: the tender new growth of roundleaf greenbriar can be pinched off and eaten raw. The fall berries are also edible, but they’re rather bland (and better left for birds). The roots can be consumed, too, if you really want to show it who’s boss.
Pictured is a shoot emerging out of the trail at the Atlantic White Cedar Swamp in Wellfleet, looking like a praying mantis or a salad, depending on your perspective.
