Rolandvue,3rd Week December: Paper Wasp, Bald-faced Hornet,Dolichovespula maculata

The box elder on Wagner at the corner of Wagner Lane has been host to a Bald-faced hornets nest for many years.  The nest moves from place to place in the tree being renewed annually, impressive engineering. The queen from the old nest overwinters and starts the new nests, raises some workers who then enlarge the nest and switch to raising the next reproducers about mid-summer.   There can be intrigue in the colony worthy of a soap opera with death of the original queen.  These hornets are black with the white markings that account for the name.

As usual there are pluses and minuses to the large football shaped nests.  The hornets are pollinators, they attack other insects which can damage gardens so can be beneficial.  They are minimally aggressive but have a painful sting if approached, and can cause an allergic reaction.  Some suggest removing the nest if near children (by a professional).  See some of the youtube videos for precaution.
There has been no problem with the local nest so the pluses out weigh the minuses.

The picture is from a similar nest near the Goucher track which is in a dogwood, closer to the ground. The box elder is a maple family, can be sugared like a maple, and  might be favored by the hornets since they eat sap as well as other insects.  The Kousa dogwood might provide food as well. The nest is layered up from vegetable matter mixed with saliva. It might be more tempting to move the one near the field, but at least the queen over-winters, might be cautious even in this season.

We see a lot of the paper wasps building their umbrella shaped nests under the eaves of the house, a different species. They have similar  benefits, and hazards. They are more brown and yellow versus the black and white hornets.

Bald-faced Hornets Nest similar to the one high in tree on Wagner Rd.

Rolandvue,2nd Week December: Christmas Fern

The other common evergreen seen in the neighborhood and along Towson Run is the christmas fern. It has two associations with the season.  It is still green into Christmas and the leaflets or pinnae have the shape of Santa's boot or the fireplace stocking. The internet has a nice key for Maryland ferns but there is not much for the forager except for the Ostrich fern, but no fall fiddleheads.  It is mainly the ostrich fiddlehead which is considered a delicacy. But the Christmas fern is sometimes grown just for the winter color not nourishment.  The best foragers can say is that it may not kill you. References do say there is protein in these winter fronds, enough to sustain deer at yet they are not heavily browsed.

The identification is by the growth pattern, single scattered clumps and not colonies or  by the overall leaf shape whether tapered or semi-tapered.  Finally it is "once cut". Mother nature took one scissor cut between pinnae.  She sometimes cuts again at right angles, twice cut,  and sometimes one more cut at right angles to that making "thrice cut".  The fruit bearing fronds have died back leaving the sterile fronds for the winter. It is native to the east coast of the United States. It likes shade to partial shade.


I will try to get a close up of the leaflet, at a distance in looks smooth or entire but the description is a finely serrated edge. Meanwhile the sensitive ferns at the corner of Cloverlea have disappeared  at the first frost and the ostrich fern is just the black residual fruiting bodies.

Close-up of the boot leaflets,thorns may prevent browse?

Christmas fern green in December and boot leaflets

An unknown twice cut fern,imagine paper scissors at right angles

Rolandvue, December Bonus: Weeping Willow, Terry Pratchett

It is a cold rainy day, nice to be curled up with a Discworld book by Terry Pratchett.  Recall that we recently added a weeping willow to the neighborhood tree list, (located at the top of Cloverlea hill.)  In Pratchett's memory I am adding his foraging advice.

One wizard asked why anyone would want to harvest willow bark.  The head wizard replied that it was an analgesic.  Okay, said the first, but wouldn't it be easier to take it by mouth?

Here is the weeping willow at the top of Cloverlea, looking particularly sad at this point in winter. There are supposed to be aspirin compounds in the twigs, not sure about extraction process.

Rolandvue,1st Week December: Ground Cover,Strawberries,Garlic Mustard,Creeping Charlie,Celandine

Whether you walk along Rolandvue or down Towson Run, the remaining color is persistent green from hardy plants which have survived the early frost.  It blurs the definition of evergreen, many will survive under the snow, but may have different methods of avoiding frost.  The ground plants are often considered edible, like the garlic mustard, but the nutrition may be borderline at this time of year.

During a holiday celebration a family member with a small herd of cattle was saying that hay bales had to be put out in the cold weather, the cows could not subsist on grazing alone.  Salt licks and good mixed hay were necessary.  So even with the healthy green color there may not be the usual amount of vitamins in the greens.  Our local wildlife seem to ignore them, no sign that garlic mustard is heavily browsed. This would be difficult times for a real forager. There may be a symmetry between the fall greens and the spring ephemerals.  Both benefit by the sunlight reaching the ground through the bare limbs of the trees.

The three plants illustrated are the most common.  We now know that the strawberry is the mock or false strawberry having seen the yellow flower and tasted the bland fruit.  The garlic mustard still has the odor when the leaves are crushed, as does the ground ivy or creeping charlie, the more minty smell.  The garlic mustard was specifically introduced as a potherb which survived the winter. It may be more a flavoring than a main course.  It is invasive and even nature centers encourage harvesting.

winter garlic mustard

wild strawberry winter

creeping charlie,minty smell, more vine like

This last plant puzzled me at first, until I broke a stem and saw the orange sap.  We saw this earlier,the greater celandine, with the pod seeds and yellow flowers. The danger would be putting it in the cress family, mostly edible, while celandine is moderately toxic. This,like the others will winter over under the snow.  There are recipes for teas and infusions but would have to be viewed with caution.  Even references to medicinal uses say that the effects are reduced in the winter as the plant concentrates on antifreeze.

We just saw the yellow color in the bark of the Oregon-grape, now the yellow sap in celandine, both have the compound berberine which may relate to the yellow pigment. Celandine is related to poppies while the Oregon-grape is closer to Barberry,not sure about more distant relationship.

greater celandine,orange sap, probably toxic

Rolandvue,4th Week of November: Oregon Grape Mahonia aquifolium? Club Mosses

 We have been watching for an excuse to mention the Oregon-grape, a favorite since it is a long way from home and only scattered in the neighborhood.  The specimen along north side of Rolandvue was probably planted in distant past, the one near the beech end of Wagner may be from seed.  Fellow walkers have suggested it is just a variation of holly.  The name aquifolium does mean holly-like leaves. The first photo shows the bright yellow color just under the bark, said to be typical for Oregon-grape indicative of one of the chemicals produced, berberine .(One reference notes that the bark can be harvested from the same plant for thirty years without damage).

So the Mahonia identification seems fairly certain even though we have not seen the spring flowers or the purple fruit.  There is a fruiting structure growing the last week or two.  The internet does not show this structure very definitively.  There is a variation , Mahonia japonica which produces a winter flower with something like this appearance.  Someone may have this in their garden and the birds have spread the two specimens.  There should be fragrant yellow flowers followed by blue berries.

The berries, though tart can be made into wine or jelly.  Extracts of the roots or the bark are used for medicinal purposes, particularly for GI complaints.  The leaves show signs of stress, nibbles, for a non-native it follows the thought that every leaf tells a tale.  The last photo is a close-up of one element of the inflorescence, now arching but tending toward pendant.  It is more like the japonica.

 The last two photos were taken down by the lake on one of the Friday walks.  No one knew the  seasonal timing of the plant so can not say it tells much about the calendar.  They were about four inches high and looked like miniature xmas trees. The club mosses once were a dominant species as large trees but now are "of minor ecological and economic importance."  There are enthusiasts who grow them for decoration.  They can be added to wreaths.  One species makes a powder which flashes, used in early photography. They are easily missed, prefer moisture and warmth so may be gone in a few days.
The specific identification is difficult but I like the sound of "Selaginella". Another name is resurrection plant, having the ability to roll into a brown ball when dry, returning to a green state with moisture.

possible club mosses,four inches tall

club moss seen near lake Roland,? selaginella

Rolandvue,3rd Week November: Death or Dormancy, Porcelain Berry Vines




The luxuriant vines of a few weeks ago have become dormant. At this stage the vines would be difficult to identify but we know this area was covered with porcelain berry, a relative of the common grape.  By extension from the grape vine literature the vine though appearing dead is still physiologically active. The residual nutrients from the leaves had to be transported down to the roots.  The roots will remain active until the spring.  This may be the best time to harvest some roots at the point of maximum energy storage, though there are no references to using porcelain berry roots.  Were we trying to grow these plants this would be a time for continued added nutrients and watering.

Dormancy is a winter survival behavior, there is less water in the tissues, more protein, and cell membrane changes preparing for frost.  There is some respiration going on but no photosynthesis. There are stored carbohydrates for the first month of spring and the early budding.  The vascular system is "plugged" to help prevent freezing. But some bud cells are present ready for the warmer weather.  Budding can be forced artificially but probably not of interest for these invasive cousins of the grape.

Rolandvue 2nd Week Nov: Wild Onions or Field Garlic

This familiar green grass-like clump is not a great calendar marker, it will be with us for the rest of the winter, but becomes most visible here in the early weeks of November.  It has been hiding underground during the heat of the summer and appears as the tree leaves fall and more sunlight reaches the ground.

I have always called this wild onion, remembering the smell from childhood.  But wild garlic is more common with a slightly different smell and hollow stems.  The latin can be helpful wild onion: Allium vineale, wild garlic: Allium canadense.  All parts of both plants are edible so making the distinction is a matter of taste.

The taste and smell is important to rule out a toxic relative, the star off Bethlehem.  Also in the lily family it has dangerous glycosides.  The leaves are flat and there is no onion or garlic smell.  The star of Bethlehem has been seen in some of the parks and probably is in the neighborhood but will be easier to spot when it flowers in the spring.

If the ground is wet the bulbs can be pulled up in a clump but this group was collected with a trowel.  Generally just pulling will get only the greens which can be eaten like chives. The bulbs can be cleaned and used as seasoning, or put through a garlic press.  This may keep away scurvy but a hard way to get calories.

clump of wild garlic, greens,bulbs and roots

hollow stems of wild garlic

close up of the bulbs,still brown outer layer

Rolandvue,1st Week November:Fall Colors,Anthrocyanins

It is hard to put a date on the changing leaf colors, it does seem more obvious this week and the Maryland Department of Natural Resources agrees that this is the peak for the upper Chesapeake Bay area. It seems maybe a little early with a lot of green and little change in the red burning bush.

Every fall we hear the story about the leaf chemistry.  During spring and summer the chlorophyll absorbs light in the high energy blue end of the spectrum as well as some light in the longer wavelength red spectrum while reflecting the middle mostly green light.  As the days get shorter and the temperature cooler the chlorophyll is recycled, leaving the remaining colorful chemicals dominant, reflecting light in the yellow orange and red.  The carotinoids produce the brighter yellows, the anthrocyanins darker reds.

Red oak off of Rolandvue

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These are the same class of chemicals as some of the vitamins your mother told you about.  They can protect the leaves from oxidation,infection and from sun damage,  just as vitamins can protect your cells.  There is not much literature about getting the nutrients directly from the changing tree leaves.  There are tea formulas, which would extract some of the beneficial chemicals.  The green Linden leaves are suggested as a lettuce substitute and seem well-tolerated.  The colorful vitamins are there but hidden by the chlorophyll. The problem in the fall with concentrated anthrocyanins may be the bitterness.  Many of the "good for you " chemicals are bitter and would be concentrated in the red leaves.

There is also the longstanding chemical warfare between plants and animals.  The plants produce toxins like oxalates and tannins to ward off snackers.  The solid cellulose cell wall also makes absorption of the internal chemicals difficult. Maybe a really fine blending with a Vitamix would release the nutrients.

There is a suggestion that global warming will affect the fall colors, with perhaps dryer weather making the palette more drab.  This will be hard to quantitate with color being so subjective. Compare these photos next November.  The vine is Virginia creeper to be mentioned again next week.  If you see these colors you are somewhere near the first week in November.

Rolandvue,4th Week of October: Falling Pine,Cedar,Cunninghamia Leaflets

In the category of "what's that in the road? A head?".  This week is was road debris from all the evergreens or conifers in the neighborhood.  The photos show the tall white pine up Cloverlea and the pine straw on the road beneath.  All the conifers were shedding but the last picture is the Cunninghamia boughs on Rolandvue.

The immediate cause of dropping leaves was the wind last week, but it must be part of the natural process.  Conifers are both evergreen and everbivalent, constantly dropping their needles at all times of the year.  It seems heavier during this transition into winter.  The pine needles show the usual five parts typical of the white pine(white five letters,five needles).  The pine needles last about two years on the tree, bristle cone pine needles in the west can last decades.  Pine straw may help the tree compete with other trees by making the soil more acid.

Evergreens make an economic calculation, less energy to replace the leaves in the spring but some energy to protect the needles from freezing in the winter.  The needles become dehydrated and trade starch for sugar, acting as anti-freeze.  This protects the pine needles down to -5 degrees centigrade. Shedding leaves reduces the need for water during the winter, evergreen make special adaptations to preserve water and continue to bring water to the branches during frosts.  Evergreens can manage some photosynthesis on the occasional warm winter days.  Evergreens can lose branches due to snow loading.  Trade offs.

This tall white pine shows asymmetrical growth to the southeast or "flagging".  We wondered if this was growing toward the sunnier south, but it can also be due to effects of the prevailing northwest winds.  Either way the tree is somewhat a compass.

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Rolandvue, 3rd Week October: Osage Oranges and Holly Berries

We thought that the Osage orange might not appear this year, like the mulberry and the gingko nut.  But with patience it is on the trees and beginning to fall in some numbers.  We have already mentioned the tree, its thorns and use as a early version of barbed wire. Still left unsolved is the mystery of who ate these fruits, probably in one gulp. Candidates are among the megafauna that became extinct as humans spread across North America.  The giant ground sloth is one possibility.   It is in the mulberry family so might have had the same weather or periodic production sensitivity.  Possibly the yield is slightly reduced.

It is native to the Red River valley in Texas, where the local indians profited by the popularity of Osage wood for bow making.  It is resistant to rot and burns efficiently, with high heat yield.
The trees are on the west side of Wagner going up the hill and the north side of Cloverlea near the lane.  The fruit is not toxic but said to be tough and tasteless. Squirrels will sometimes eat the seeds.

(I had a habit of saying sage orange, as in possum but the indian tribe for which it is named is Oh Sage in English so it is not a silent O?)

Just a photo of holly berries to show the seasonal timing.  Technically the red fruit is a drupe or stone fruit rather than a berry.  It is mildly toxic to humans but eaten by birds and small mammals.  This leads to spreading of the trees or bushes sometimes to an invasive extent. The holly is often evergreen, although overlooked when listing the evergreen trees. It has the characteristic shiny leafs with spiny edges.  The picture is from the north side of Rolandvue.  Not sure of the variety, there are the local favorite Nellie Stevens in the area.  That variety tends to be in hedges and have showier fruit, but it is early season.

Osage orange fruit, candy for the giant sloth?

Holly berries beginning,unknown variety

Rolandvue,2nd Week October: Horse Chestnuts

   One sign of fall is the squirrels gathering and burying nuts (according to a note intended for middle schoolers).  This is true in the neighborhood, squirrels particularly like to bury the chestnuts in planters on the porch which will be moved in for the winter.  We will watch for new chestnut shoots.  The kids know it is not the squirrel activity which is primary but the falling nuts, and even that can be traced further back for its actual causal relationship to the season.

Most animals seem to leave the horse chestnuts alone.  They are falling in similar profusion, and are larger with a smooth rather than spiny capsule.  But depending on the species they contain toxic amounts of tannin or other poisonous compounds such as aescin and saponins.  We left horse chestnut as generic last year but when considering uses it might be helpful to be more specific.  Aesculus hippocastanum bears the greek for horse chestnut and has the horseshoe shaped leaf scars with "seven nails" after the palmate leaves fall.  It has a fruit with spikes, not the smooth husk.

The large trees at the top of Cloverlea and by extension the many smaller buckeyes in the area may be Aesculus flava or the yellow buckeye.  The nut has the smooth capsule typical of our neighborhood.  It is native to the Ohio valley and the Appalachian mountains. The nuts  are toxic to eat but can be treated to leach out the poisons.  The buckeye leaves are falling as well, a little earlier than the oaks, slightly after the lindens. The leaves,at least this year are mostly a dull yellow.

With a little imagination the nuts, with their white basal scar and dark color look like the eye of a deer, thus the common name.  There are medical uses, treatment for venous disease, for extracts of nuts depending on the species.  Conkers, another name for the nuts were used in an English game and as a war time source of chemicals in England.

The first photo shows the fine teeth at the leaf margin, a distinction from Ohio buckeye. The second photo shows the flaking bark on an older buckeye.  The night shadows highlight the plates.  This starts as smooth patterns on the younger trees.

Rolandvue 1st Week in October: It's Nuts, Chestnuts,Walnuts, Beechnuts

There is renewed interest in the field of neuro-botany.  How to trees "know" predators or "remember" past droughts? How do trees communicate? How do they know the seasons? For whatever reason,the nuts are dropping due to some combination of time,temperature and light cycle.

The walnuts support whole industries in Europe but are rarely used here.  They have to be gathered and separated from the outer green skin quickly.  Then the cracking or hulling requires more than the usual pressure,consider car tires.  It is a common tree in Baltimore county, but not much interest in either the nut or the liquors produced elsewhere.

The chestnuts are essentially all asian with possible hybrid on Rolandvue near the entrance of Cloverlea.  Making them edible also requires work.  The worms which can be frequent motivates cooking them rather than eating them raw.  They are not easy to free of skin but can be made into a potato-like mash. Pretty good with a little seasoning.  The loss of American chestnuts by blight may have worsened the Great Depression by dislocating whole populations.

Chestnuts do not in general self fertilize so with enough distance there would be fewer balls from hell, but here on the top of Cloverlea hill there are four close to each other. The pollen can spread up to 200 yards. The spiny outer husk can be opened with your shoes before carefully extracting the nuts.

The beechnuts are so small they are hardly worth foraging.  Maybe better as animal feed.  Then enjoy the animal.

"ball from hell" protecting the asian chestnut.

Contrast between the large walnut and the beechnut.Rarely used for food.

Rolandvue,4th Week September: White Snakeroot

We have discussed white snakeroot before, its toxicity and role in milk sickness.  It seems to be the main plant blooming at this time of year.  It will be interesting to see how much variation there is from year to year.  There has been no attempt to put error bars around the dates as plants are mentioned.  They very from location to location.  This year two weeks ago the snakeroot was not blooming, it may go another two weeks. This seems to be a rare plant with actual deaths related to secondary ingestion, the meat or milk of cows which ate the plant.

white snakeroot,one of few flowering plants this week.

Cucumber vines are growing with their unusual fruit, seen on the north side of Rolandvue near the Cloverlea entrance.  The keys or samaras on the asian elms are becoming more obvious this week. The samaras are edible in the green stage but I am not sure of the exact species here on Wagner(two trees on the south side). The tall American fireweed at the corner of Wagner and Rolandvue is going to seed.  This clump raises the possibility of rhizome spread.  What would be the effect of constant light  from the overhead street light? These plants get no dark period although the street light is minimal compared to the sun.

small notched samaras of the siberian elm?edible

tall American fireweed going to seed

Rolandvue,3rd Week September:Wingstem,Ground Cherry

The bright yellow wingstem flowers (Verbisina alternifolia) are visible along Towson Run and across the field north of Rolandvue.  They are more common along Bellona and at the north entrance to Lake Roland near L'Hirondelle club.  It is in the aster family with yellow daisy-like flowers, somewhat ragged in appearance.  The name is from the ridges or wings along the stem.  Leaves are lance like with variable margins.  There are long rhizomes on the roots accounting for closely packed colonies. It prefers rich soil and moisture like the flood plain along Roland Run.

There is little in my handy references about foraging wingstem despite it being a native plant. It is ok for livestock but can be invasive and hard to control.  Apparently not eaten by deer by preferred by numerous bees and butterflies.  Not listed among the medicinal plants.

ragged daisy-like flowers of wingstem

clump of wingstem probably from rhizomes

the ridges along the stem

We mentioned ground cherry(Physalis) last year, it is fruiting along the north side of Wagner near the end.  It had been near the beech last fall.  It is the nightshade family, associated with toxicity but like potatoes and tomatoes edible with care.  The fruit inside the hanging lanterns is still green.

ground cherry, Wagner Road, not ready for pie as yet

Rolvandvue,2nd Week of August: Chocolate vine and Golden Rod

Chocolate vine(Akebia quinata) is native to the Korea, Japan area.  Remember that the 38th parallel is the neutral zone across Korea and runs just south of Rolandvue in this hemisphere,so similar environment. It has become naturalized along the east coast of the U.S.  Like other vines it has some positives: an edible podlike fruit, the rind used in cooking and the vine in basketry. But it can also become invasive growing to thirty feet heights.  The five leaflets are  characteristic(quinata).  This photo is from the south side of Wagner near the ginko trees. It is growing over the fence.

The flowers, in the early spring are said to have a chocolate smell.  We are watching for the fruits but apparently vines are sparsely productive.

Older dark leaves,younger green leaves of chocolate vine

close-up chocolate vine,missing some leaflets

Leaves with five leaflets,same side of smooth woody stem

The goldenrod has been blooming this week, a sign of good luck, or a sign of a vigorous weed, depending on your mood.  Goldenrod is pollenated by insects and not by the wind,is therefore not a common cause of allergy.  It is the ragweed blooming at the same time which is more responsible for hay fever.  The young lance shaped leaves are edible and a tea can be made from the blooms. 

The plant was considered as a wartime(WWII) source of rubber.  The leaves contain seven percent rubber.  The final product was not suitable for tires, too tacky.  It is in the aster family with typical ray shaped flowers.

Goldenrod with unknown pollinator

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Rolandvue, 1st Week of September: Mile-a-Minute vine,Greenbriar, Wisteria

Mile-A-Minute vine (Periscaria perfoliata) or Tearthumb can ruin a good hike.  Do you backtrack along the gorge for a couple of miles or plow on through a couple of acres of Tearthumb. In hindsight, backtracking would have been better.  The photos are from the middle of Cloverlea, a vine not seen last year and possibly spread by birds.  It is beginning to seed.  Hold on while I stop being the neutral reporter, put on heavy gloves and go pull it up.

That's better.

It is another asian invasive arriving in York Pa with a shipment of hollys in the early 1930s. Now it is spread widely in the Mid-Atlantic.  It smothers the native vegetation, climbs with the sharp hooks on the leaves and the stems, and spreads with copious seeds.  The leaves are triangular, alternate, and join the stem with ocreae, a characteristic of the vine.  It prefers edgess and disturbed areas as here on Cloverlea. There is a possible biological control not yet proven, so thick gloves and pulling, before the seeds appear.

tearthumb seeds,spread by birds and small animals

triangular leaves of tearthumb

closeer view of the thorns and the ocreae

Greenbriar(smilax sp) is a native vine also with sharp barbs or thorns.  Another plant with ambivalent character, the thick mats provide cover for animals, the leaves are commonly browsed.  The berries are food for numerous bird species.  The thick mats cut down on diversity and the thorns can be a barrier.  The photo is from Lake Roland but it extends up along Towson Run.  I have tried eating the tender shoots raw in the spring and early summer. The young leaves can be used raw in salads, but not personally tested.

Wisteria is another vine encountered along the trail but probably escaped from cultivation.
This vine was at the top of Rolandvue.  Wisteria can be aggressive.  Foraging is as always cautious, making fritters from the flowers is suggested.  Some parts of the plant are toxic. Did not see the flowers this year.

Rolandvue, 4th Week August: Porcelain-berry, Cucumber vine

If someone asks "what vine is that?"  Porcelain-berry(P-b) is a good first guess, particularly this time of year. It seems to be everywhere. Continuing with theme of local vines here is the quick over view of porcelain-berry.  It is a non-native (Asia) invasive.  The ID is often paired with the similar family member, wild grape or fox grape.

P-b has variable but generally grape like leaves.  A clear difference is the fruit grows upward above the leaves with porcelain berry, while the wild grape fruit bunches hang down as would be expected with common grapes.  The fruit of P-b, when cut has white flesh vs dark flesh for the grape.  If no fruit the pith of the vine(P-b) is white while the wild grape pith is brown.  The bark of wild grape is woody and peeling while the porcelain berry bark is not.

Being related to grapes the fruit of porcelain berry is edible but apparently tasteless and with a disagreeable texture.  Will give a personal report as it ripens. Foragers will not help control the invasive. Suggested control seems to be by hand pulling and cutting since chemicals will damage the supporting plants.

berries above the plane of the leaves

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Porcelain berry variable grape-like leaves

leaf close up, grape-like

The cucumber vine is growing around the old foundation north side of Rolandvue near the Cloverlea entrance.  This vine seems to get a more neutral response.  Aggressive but not invasive, possible for trellis but needs control.  The unusual fruits are not edible.   Because it can cover trees most suggest pulling before it goes to seed, which looks like about last week.  It has these interesting little tendrils mentioned in an earlier post.

cucumber vine flower

small irregular fruit of the cucumber vine

cucumber vine leaf

counterclockwise tendril in northern hemisphere