These woody vines are impressive climbers, an ability that enables them to reach sunlight with a minimum investment of energy. Vines are plants with a growth habit of trailing or climbing stems. Northeastern forests and other habitats have fewer vines, but where they do grow, vines increase ecosystem complexity, creating a multilayered canopy. There are a number of native woody vines in the Northeast, including several species of grapes, honeysuckles and greenbriers. Grape vines are suspended from trees behind our deck; their fruit attracts foraging birds.