lycopus, thank you. I'm not quite sure this is it. It looks very, very much like what I have, but the leaves are just a bit off. All the photos I see have leaves which are rather flat. The leaves on mine are more curled up at the edges, even with a slight ruffle to some of them. (Of course, that could be because it's in a vase of water on my table, and not outside in the sun in the garden! I'll take a look at the ones still in the garden next time I'm there.) Other than that, the images look very similar. I will leaves a few in the garden and see if they go to berry. That may help me identify it more firmly. It is indeed a nice looking plant. Perhaps I will try to transplant some out of the beds and along the woodland edge. Thank you! Dee

It is NOT a horrible weed. It's a native vine, perfectly hardy, useful and of value to the creatures that live in the area that it is native to. It has beautiful fall color, berries that birds love. It does have tiny holdfasts to climb with, so be mindful of where you let it climb. It is the host plant for Sphinx moths and others.

oh thank you for reminding me what this is! i had a few come up last year, not knowing what they were i let them stay way beyond their welcome. gonna go pluck it out ASAP!

I like them so I leave them until after they flower and start looking ratty. Last year I had a low hanging flower container that I stored under some other plants to get it out of the way. This spring I noticed that most of the plants were these. So instead of composting I kept and have moved the planter around the yard just for the effect. I find that they are a cheery reminder of childhood. They are very easily pulled if you want to get rid of them.