Smilax, a persecuted brier vine that admittedly can be quite a thorny nuisance if you want to get anywhere fast in the woods, does have a good side. One of its attributes, if you have a female vine, is its clusters of plump berries, which are a main food source for many birds that we love. Another plus is that its new green shoots in spring are a tasty edible which can be lightly sautéed and served up like asparagus or chopped into an omelet.
In hurricane country it is wise to keep your eyes and your mind open to what the land can provide just in case the power goes down or your home gets flooded and with it, the contents of your fridge get spoiled. Smilax is abundant and those shoots are nutritious enough to take the edge off your hunger while you chop your way out of a road blocked by fallen trees. Other things we think of as noxious weeds, like the invasive stink vine and such, can also serve in a pinch.
I keep Smilax around because I like birds, and not only does it provide food for birds, it also provides excellent shelter for them, its thorns being a deterrent to predators and its drought resistant shining foliage terrific concealment from the sharp eyes of hawks.
I also keep it around because of its rather pretty and lightly fragrant flowers, like those in my photograph today. This harsh drought we are in seems to suit my smilax vines well, for they are blooming profusely this week.
I am not the only one who has discovered these briers are actually beautiful. Wedding venues are featuring smilax prominently as a tough but graceful ornamental garland, selling it by the bunch and foot.
We had smilax in Missouri when I was a kid and many a time I was snagged and had to untangle and unhook myself from its prickly thorns, cursing under my breath like a shy but salty sailor because I saw only its wicked side and not how well it protected my feathered friends. I see it differently now, that it can be managed with judicious and persistent pruning, to live its life up out of the way, and to produce food for the birds and for me, and shelter, and pleasurable scents in the breeze. It is a blessing now rather than a curse, to work with it rather than against it.