Looks like you made a great find.
I thought they were to stay green year round. Or maybe that is a different species I was thinking of.
I think it is pretty on a twig wreath.
Living in the country you have so many great things available for decorating with.
Bonnie

Good for you; I hope you are passing your appreciation on to your grandkids. I have been told I am an easy woman to entertain because when my friend wanted to take a nap on vacation just park on the side of the road and I will look for rocks and fossils. Isn't it wonderful to be pleased by nature and consider a plant or a pile of manure or rotten wood chips a valuable prize.

I love the picture! It looks black and white with a little bit of color. Looks like a post card. I have never seen Bittersweet before now I will have to search the web for information:)
Ann

Thankfully, you have the native species!
The invasive Oriental species hasn't been documented in MO, yet, but has been found in one AR county (Washingtom).
Mostly, it has yellow berries, in clusters along the stems, in the leaf axil's. It also has about 5X as many seed in the berries, as the natives, so it can be spread quite rapidly by our feathered friends.
Are you going to collect the berries and plant the seed?
Before the birds find them! :o))
Rb

Rb

Here is a link that might be useful: Identifying Bittersweet

I wish I could, but they are about 15 feet or more up in the tree! It was a miracle I just happened to look up and see them.

How do you plant the seeds and when....if I find more that I can get to?

Have a long cane fishing pole that you could fashion a wire hook on the end? A casting rod with a heavy lead sinker on the end of the line, could also work. A slingshot, with a small pebble would bring some down.
I keep a few 10' stalks of small plastic pipe on hand for extending my reach and building temporary hoop enclosures.

There is usually only one seed in each berry of the native bittersweet. I don't bother cleaning berries that contain only one seed, just plant them in a pot or seed flat and cover lightly with compost. As long as they are ripe (in this case, red), they can be planted now. Should germinate in the spring. If you want to store some, you will need to remove the pulp. Wear surgical gloves, if you are allergic or don't want the stain on your fingers!

Hope you are able to obtain some for planting. The birds scatter the seed, but that may be miles away!
Rb

I have long-handled fruit tree picker....that might work.
Should I plant them outside now or inside? I guess I could just do both.

Lucky you! I found some when I was walking down the road earlier this fall but didn't collect any seeds because I was afraid it was the invasive type that I've heard so much about. I wish I'd known at the time that the invasive type isn't in Missouri. I wonder if it's still there. Maybe I could find it again. It sounds like a good candidate for winter sowing.

I always sow native plant seed from my Zone or colder outside. If I obtain some from a warmer Zone and they require cold stratification, I usually place them in the veggie crisper of the fridge until spring and then plant them outside. If they begin to germinate, I remove and pot them, but keep indoors until spring.
Which reminds me, I have some native seed that I must plant this week, Black baneberry, Yellow troutlily, Bottlebrush buckeye and White beautyberry. All of those seedlings won't produce white berries, but a fair percentage will. If I look around, I'll probably find some more forgotten seed!
Rb