Identifying climbing vines is usually easier during the summer months when the vines have flowers. As with any plant identification, note the leaves, flowers, and growth habits of the vine. Get a good field guide to local flora and use the most striking feature of the vine for identification purposes.

Many climber plants are vines whose stems wrap around trees and branches but there are other methods of climbing. Botanists divide climbing plants into two broad groups: Bines and Vines. Bines typically twine their stems around an object for support. They have rough stems or downward-pointing bristles to air their grip.

You’ll be looking for long trailing stems which are climbing up other surfaces, including trees or buildings, or trailing along the forest floor. Look for coiling tendrils, twining whip-like appendages, or thorns which may be used to cling and hoist themselves upwards.

Some vines twine, their stems forming tight coils that help them climb. Other vines put out tendrils that grow outward and grasp onto surfaces such as walls and trellises. Still others are true climbing vines that grow against flat surfaces, adhering tightly to walls and fences as they rise.