A Reddit user has shared about an irritating violation of their privacy that occurred when their neighbor significantly altered their yard without their permission.
In a recent post on the r/mildlyinfuriating subreddit, a user posted a picture of their yard, which looks almost completely barren apart from some patchy grass.
The user explained that while they were on vacation, their neighbor mowed their wildflowers without their permission — and also that the neighbor's wife called them "a bad parent because of [their] lawn."
The only explicable rationale for such behavior came in the comment section, as eagle-eyed observers realized that the wildflowers in question were a variety of nightshade, as evidenced by the poster's accompanying photo.
"All parts of the plant contain alkaloids (especially the bright red berries), which are extremely poisonous to humans and livestock if ingested. In spite of its toxicity, bittersweet nightshade was hung as a talisman in the past to ward off witchcraft," the commenter wrote.
Since nightshade is poisonous to humans and animals, it's possible that the unfriendly neighbor feared for young children or pets who might inadvertently consume parts of the plant.
Still, the Redditor's grievance is entirely legitimate, considering the neighbors trespassed on their property to destroy something they held dear.
Wildflowers and other local plants are important for maintaining healthy local ecosystems that attract pollinators, which keep all plants alive and thriving, according to American Meadows.
Other users sounded off in the comment section of the post.
"Does this count as destruction of property?" one user wrote.
"Well, time to sprinkle wildflower seeds in your neighbors yard. lol," another user said.
"If it was on your property and they did it without your consent, you could take it further. All depends on if the cost of going through that is worth the cost of the flowers," a third user commented.
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