A tendril of Celastrus orbiculatus (Asiatic bittersweet) snakes along the boughs of a native black cherry at the periphery of a property on First Light Lane in Truro. This invasive vine coils around its victims like a boa constrictor, girdling them as it climbs higher and higher for sunlight and seed dispersal. The weakened support tree slowly chokes and may eventually topple, pulled down by its invader. Asiatic bittersweet can be identified by its yellow capsules and the fruit that grows all along the stem; its noninvasive cousin, American bittersweet, has orange capsules and sets fruit only at the end of the vine. —Joe Beuerlein
