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'Hairy Panic' Rolls Into Australian Neighborhood

Residents in one neighborhood of Australia’s Victoria state scrambled to fight back against an invasion of a fast-growing tumbleweed called “hairy panic,” which was rapidly piling up against their homes and otherwise covering their property.

Panicum effusum is a short-lived perennial, native to parts of Australia. While explosions in the amount of the weed occur in the country each year, one street in the city of Wangaratta has been especially hit hard this summer because of a dry period brought on by El NIño.

Residents say they suspect the troublesome weed is blowing from a large nearby field that a farmer has failed to keep clear.