60 seconds to invasion

As reported by Greenwich Time, a wetlands officer in Greenwich, Connecticut was on a routine inspection of an estate when he accidentally stumbled upon an invasive plant that is only known in a few sites in that state. It turned out that a compost pile filled with dead nursery stock and other materials was also home to a 5 x 20 foot swatch of mile-a-minute vine (Polygonum perfoliatum), a thorny vine that grows almost as fast as its common name implies. Landscapers on the property have been instructed to dispose of the plant separately, preferably by incineration.