vine, ivy
蔦 centers on climbing plants that spread and cling: vines, especially ivy.
蔦 combines the grass radical 艹 with 鳥, which likely provides the sound. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the structure suggests a plant name.
The grass radical 艹 sits above a bird 鳥. Imagine a vine so thick and tangled that birds nest in it: 蔦 is a vine or ivy.
For チョウ, picture a long vine shaped like a chou (ちょ) curl, with a bird perched on it: chou -> チョウ, and the vine twists like the hiragana ちょ.
ivy (esp. Boston ivy, Parthenocissus tricuspidata)
sea grapes (Caulerpa lentillifera); green caviar
Hedera rhombea (species of ivy)
Asian poison ivy (Rhus ambigua)
maple; scarlet-tinged ivy
Penepatella stellaeformis (species of limpet)
ivy and vines; creepers
green penny fern (Lemmaphyllum microphyllum)
Bulbophyllum drymoglossum (species of orchid)
Caulerpa scalpelliformis (species of green alga)