Foreign Invaders in the Hedgerow

There's a horrible little vine you can find in the hedgerows around here that is called "Mile a Minute Weed" or "Chinese Tear-Thumb." A whole page devoted to it can be found here.

This stuff is hell to pull, as the barbs are reversed to rip at your skin.

Mile-a-Minute apparently originated in China, Japan and Korea. In the U.S. it's mostly just found in Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and Pennsylvania -- at least so far. I expect it will be everywhere before long.

If you're interested in learning a little more about some of the other invasive species and introduced species in the hedgerow (including the red fox, kudzu, rats, multiflora rose, etc.) click here.
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