Wisterias

I have one in my yard. Not that I planted it. My wife did, which I'm thinking was beyond her control.'

Wisterias are insidious. Beautiful to behold, but their treachery is never exposed - until now. I can only hope I'm successful with my warning.

Wisterias constantly grow vines. You hardly see them, but the constant endeavor allows them to spread. What starts as a small bush at the beginning of the summer ends in the disaster of a yard that is completely assimilated before summer ends. Every square inch of yard is covered by the vines that can grow  twenty feet each day.

Seed pods are grown until they are released in the night. During the release, the pods sprout wings and fly for miles. Eventually, they too will sprout and another area is now doomed. A sharp ear will reveal the fluttering of these wings and the low rumble as the vines burrow through the ground.

I, once, saw a huge well groomed wisteria in a yard. I noticed it as a I walked down an almost empty street in a town I was visiting. The sinewy trunk extended from the ground like some large arm, which clutched a cluster of intoxicating purple flowers. It was as though a closer look would reveal gnarly fingers clutching the bouquet of doom.  I hurried my step as I passed. I knew there was an unwilling gardener in the adjoining shed, waiting, and blankly staring while the feeding vines kept them alive. After dark, they would exit with pruning shears to groom their harsh master that was waiting, conspiring and hoping for the eventual subjugation of all mankind.

Be wary. There may not be much time left.