I forgot to mention that this isn't just a couple of sprigs of plant coming up in our yard...there are many MANY dozens of plants trying to take over the place. I really don't want to totally wipe out this plant but am starting to think that I might have to in order to keep it from growing all over everything.

It's searching for water. I have not had issues like that with mine as I give it little water during the summer. I was at a place in Sebastpol afew years ago and it was growing by a creek and up into the trees and was loaded with butterflies and larval.

It seems that you have two problems as I understand it. First, you have a very large plant that continues to spread. From your description it seems that this plant is the parent of other pipevines that are now growing far away from the first plant. This is problem 2.

I don't see any solution to the first problem with the major plant other than trimming it back where you don't want it. Hate to say it, but that might take some major work. If this were me and I really couldn't do the physical part I would consider paying someone to do this once or twice a year.

I would nuke the other plants that have grown far away from the first plant. Roundup. I know a lot of people don't like to do this, but it's very effective and I don't think major environmental damage is done as long as you are limiting what you spray to these plants.

Tom, Yes, you understand the problem that I have here. As much as I love pipevine (and a lot of other kinds of plants), if they're becoming a nuisance, then I do consider getting rid of them. I'd hate to get rid of the original plant (actually, it's two plants planted in the same area), and I know that's not what you're suggesting. I'm not against using Roundup on the strays. Well, I guess it would have to be one of the lawn weed killers because Roundup would also kill our grass. Well, we have a lot of weeds in our grass anyway, but still, I guess it would make things look pretty raggedy if I'd use Roundup. I just wonder how far back the weed killer would kill the stragglers. Maybe first thing in the spring the little pipevine plants will show themselves before the grass starts getting long enough to mow and I can spray them then. I suppose I could pay my daughter to dig out as much as she can, which would be a major job for me. Those roots are hard to struggle with. I'm sure it would take me a week or more of working at it several hours a day to get it mostly all out.

If you lived closer to me I would totally dig out your "Starts" and take them home with me.

Kran, I would gladly give them to you too, all hundred or more of them. :) It's not that I don't like the plant, but I just don't like its wandering ways. I love to raise Pipevine Swallowtails on the leaves. When my daughter had looked at my one butterfly book some years ago and pointed out the PVS as being her favorite one, I decided right away to start some pipevine here, and it's really done well. It's funny but the pipevine must have sensed my less-than-entirely-positive feelings towards it lately because when we had fairly high winds go through here a week or so ago, the big trunk fell over, pulling all the wire fencing and pipevine down with it. Now I have a mess to clean up in the spring because it's too cold outside now to do it. I'm not exactly sure yet how I'll tackle this project. I don't know which was better, having it standing or having it toppled over. Either way it's a lot of work and pain for a person with back problems. When I started gardening, it was a lot more fun than it is these days, but I keep truckin' along even if I have to go at a snail's pace. I love flowers and butterflies (and bees and hummingbirds and birds...).