Beauty and the Beast

This is a photo of the invasive and non-native, Purple Loosestrife.

It's a pretty flower, but the roots are very woody and tough. A mature plant
can produce over a million seeds. The plants grow in wetland areas and choke
out the native plants. It is native to Eurasia, Europe and Russia and has no
natural "enemies" in North America. If you live here and have it growing in
your yard or garden, dig it up with a pitch fork and get rid of it. At the
very least, cut off the flowers before they go to seed.