Drought

This composite photo is from the same perspective as the photo that is the header for this blog.   The lake is nearly gone.... only inches of water remain.   Rapidly engulfing its edges are grasses of many descriptions.  The ground is soft, indeed it will not support any significant weight - anything / person that tries to walk to water's edge will be consumed by the soft, water soaked mud.   But 25 feet out, where the heat and sun has dried the earth, a trail exist.  Made by feral hogs, deer and people frustrated that they cannot reach the water.

Woody Vines crawl up tree

Within our wood are many variety of vines.   Amazing to me is the strength and mass of these creatures.  These vines are large, woody structures with their own 'bark'.   They extend upwards into the canopy of the tree - often creating an interconnecting system of 'cable' like webbing.   These webs connect many trees.   In the extreme they are able to choke a tree - not due to constriction of trunk, but from sunlight - as the 'new' canopy of vine foliage (somewhere on top) steals all the light. 

How do these vines work there way up?   Do they grow with the tree?  From the breadth of their 'trunks' my suspicion is they are years old - ? as old as the tree they hold onto? 

Is there a resource for these vines - names, species, unique characteristics?