Tag Archives: vines

"B"-vines protecting the huge patch of Lady Slipper orchids next to Holy Souls Hermitage

The vines in this picture, taken from the steps of Holy Souls Hermitage, can grow to the tops of the tall trees or spread out at any height horizontally. They have no leaves or flowers that I know about. They have a huge root system. They are very thin, and super long. And… and… they have thorns sharper than any razor wire on the open market. And… and… they seem to be stronger than any braided steel cable known to man. If you get caught in them, don’t think that just plowing forward will get you anywhere. You’ll just start to bleed, badly. You have to stop, take a step back, and disentangle yourself. Not easy. While you’re at it, don’t step unwittingly into a man-eating tree hole filled with horrific spiders.

Analogy: When fighting the world, the flesh and the devil, don’t think that you can just plow forward on your own as if you are going to get anywhere under your own power. You’ll only get yourself into more trouble. Instead… instead… rejoice in the friendship of our Lord Jesus. After all, He knows what it’s like to have a crown of thorns that we smashed onto His head. We shouldn’t destroy ourselves with dark thoughts for having done that. He doesn’t want that. What He does want is for us to rejoice in His overwhelming goodness and kindness.

Now, having said all that, does anyone know the technical name of this vine in the mountains of Western North Carolina? The locals call it a “b*****d vine”, for obvious reasons. But that can’t be the technical name, can it?