>Purple loosestrife is Lythrum salicaria, Lythraceaea. An absolutely
> beautiful flowering marsh plant from Eurasia ...
> It grows in dense shrubby stands
> to about 2 m high, the top covered with spikes of red-violet flowers. It
> is a handsome ornamental and was probably introduced for that reason.

OK, actually I've seen something that fits this description in Oak's Bottom
(big Portland wetland) without knowing what it is. I'll try and remember
to ask my local EPA wetland ecologist next time I see him, after all his
girlfriend lives right around the block from me!!

> I hope no tweeters are tired of reading about plants.

I'm certainly not.

> (I think I was a little singed by the dog-poop flame).

As I was over the raptor story complaints not long ago, BTW. Especially as
one person who'd asked for more.

After our plant discussions here, I hope you now realize I'm not simply
a raptormaniac - I just work with them one or two months out of the year.

Enough of that, though - overall people are very polite in tweeters and
I have no complaints.

-Don Baccus-