Today, hundreds of Longwood residents took part in an operation to gather and dispose of as much of the air potato vegetation as possible.

The air potato destroys other plants by sprouting vines that steal the sunshine. The organizer of today's event, Amy Raub, told Channel 9 that "one potato produces a vine, one-hundred potatoes are on that vine, they fall to the ground at winter and grown their own vines."

The reason this plant is a problem is that it grows very aggressively and can actually cover and shade very tall trees, killing them and other beneficial plants. Neither the plant nor the potatoes are of value to Florida native wildlife or ecosystems.

More than four-hundred local residents helped to gather about five-thousand pounds of the potatoes and throw them into a dumpster to end the vicious cycle.