Bittersweet Wreath

Want a pre-Christmas project to serve as a unique gift or simply brighten the holiday season? A trip to the Kansas woods can provide all the ingredients for a festive wreath. And once materials are gathered, you can finish a wreath in half an hour. Start by cutting and weaving wild grape vines into the basic shape. Use wire if necessary to hold the wreath together. Then, decorate it by inserting colorful berries still on their own stalks. Work short pieces into the wreath, and they’ll usually stay. Bittersweet berries are ideal decorations. These berries, recently opened in late fall and now persistent in the eastern Kansas woodlands, dry and hold their color for months. A hiker at Crawford state park tells the story: “I’m out collecting bittersweet today, on this beautiful sunshiny day, and hope to take some of this home. My family likes to use it to decorate with, and we make wreaths, and there’s a lot of it here. It’s easy to find.” Bittersweet berries can often be found through December. But take only the terminal ends of the plant, so you don’t destroy it for another year. I like to add other berries like greenbriar for color variation. Tie on a wire hanger, and the wreath will be a colorful reminder of the Kansas outdoors for a year or more. I often use the same wreath again and again, simply recharging the colorful bittersweet berries in each fall season. Involve the kids and grandkids, and make a holiday wreath. It will put you closer in touch to the wonderful Kansas outdoors. I’m Mike Blair for Kansas Wildlife and Parks.