A Tumbleweed Called ‘Hairy Panic’ Is Burying Homes in This Australian Town

A bizarre type of tumbleweed is engulfing homes in southeastern Australia as drought conditions persist in the country.

The fast-growing weed, dubbed hairy panic, has piled up in front yards in the state of Victoria’s Wangaratta town, forcing homeowners to spend hours at a time laboring to clear it out, reports television station 7 News.

“It’s physically draining and mentally more draining,” Pam Twitchett a resident of the town, told the network. Exhausted residents say they spend hours clearing their properties, only for the relentless weed to return the next day.

Locals believe the weed originates from nearby farmland that has been neglected. Its presence has been an issue for the past couple of years, residents said, but it is particularly severe in the current drought.

[7 News]