Life finds a way

As I was watching a train pass the other night, I noticed something odd about one of the cover hoppers: There was something fuzzy on the front end. It turned out to be a plant of some kind. While it looked like a tree, I suppose it could also have been a vine like Kudzu (the train was in Alabama).

A few more cars passed, and there were more plants. I guess those cars had been sitting for quite a while. If they were trees, it would appear they had been growing for about 6-12 months. This could be an interesting thing to model.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture.