Ferocious and (like all plants) unapologetic, the wisteria growing in the vacant lot next door is poised to take over the entire crumbling shell of the adjacent building (and possibly our life along with it!). Nor — like some — are we deceived by the delicate and emphemeral blooms of the morning glory, which (equally invasive) are more than happy to go along for the ride. Contemplating the scene, we are reminded of a trip we once took through the Yucatan Peninsula to the ancient city of Coba. Once the size of Los Angeles, most of it is now covered in vines; hills seen in the distance are in fact buried monuments of a civilization even more lost than ours.