Yes, that looks like it, and it seems a few of the sterile grass carp in the pond might keep it under control. Thanks for your help! Alana

Discoqueen - it's an elder bush. Sambucus nigra - a very common self sowing native. You will need to cut it right down and then, if you can't dig out the roots, apply some sort of brush killer to the stumps. Before anyone says, why destroy an edible, these things are native here and sprout all over the place. They are a bit too common and a bit too large to tolerate in our small gardens.

The leaves and wood of elder have a somewhat unpleasant smell, which is easy to check for. And, as the link info says - the stems are hollow. Fairly easy to remove as it is not deep-rooting, though the roots do spread widely. Better to remove it entirely as it will resprout from the stump. If there are other elders nearby you are guaranteed more because the birds will bring seeds to your garden. Makes an 'interesting' jam from the black berries teamed with apples. Sort of a strong toffee flavour. (I don't think it was my jam-making...;-) )

Vine borers were my first thought as well. Just to clarify, *you* cut that vine in two, right? In any case, I'm not the most experienced gardener but the oozing makes me think about mechanical damage from insects rather than disease. If you lose another plant to this, I would suggest slicing open the stem lengthwise and see if you find anything crawling around in there. Best of luck.