Those Green Vines Are Taking Over Everything! Is It Kudzu?

As Eric & I drive around Northern

Alabama, Eric & I see trees &

bushes covered with vines.

I remember reading an article

about Kudzu.

 

It grows very fast (a foot a day) 

& can quickly cover large areas.

Kudzu is an Asian plant.  It was displayed by the Japanese at their Pavilion at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition.  In America Kudzu was introduced as an ornamental plant and as an inexpensive forage crop.  In the 1930s and 1940s, the Soil Conservation Service paid Southern farmers to plant Kudzu to prevent soil erosion. 

I remember that Kudzu grew

so fast & covered so much

land, trees, shrubs, grass,

that it was a nuisance.

Left untended, Kudzu has overrun phone poles, abandoned homes, and cars.  The wonder vine became the "Cuss-You Vine."  The South provides the perfect climate for this invasive plant.  In 1998 Kudzu was designated a federal noxious weed by the US Congress.  

Eric pulled our car as far as he could off the side of a two-lane road so I could take this picture.

An Arley Police Car stopped next to us.  The Police Officer asked if we needed help.  Eric said, "No sir.  My wife is taking pictures of these vines.  Is this Kudzu?"  The Police Officer confirmed our suspicion.  

Love it or hate it, Kudzu is here to stay.  It's spreading into Pennsylvania, New York, Oklahoma...