Reclaimed by Ecological Succession

Reclaimed by Ecological Succession ..

I suppose that I would define this as a process by which a man made structure built within a biological community evolves over time, and slowly reclaimed by nature. To make myself clear, I attempted to research this to find an appropriate term. “Succession” is the only thing that sprang to mind. So for just a little fun (that’s all only the fun of it - no serious business here).

Britannica defines Ecological Succession as…

The process by which the structure of a biological community evolves over time. There are two different types of succession—primary and secondary—have been distinguished. Primary succession occurs in essentially lifeless areas—regions in which the soil is incapable of sustaining life as a result of such factors as lava flows, newly formed sand dunes, or rocks left from a retreating glacier. Secondary succession occurs in areas where a community that previously existed has been removed; it is typified by smaller-scale disturbances that do not eliminate all life and nutrients from the environment.
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One Of My Favorite Depictions of This ..

Is a photo by Kyle Telechan. Him and his wife, out on a road trip one day, came across this incredible find. Very cool and Very creepy all at the same time. I can almost hear the amusement park noises and smell the food. Beautiful!

Source

I See This A Lot of This ..

During my daily routine, but rarely give it much thought. The things I usually come across or not as cool as the shot above, but still cool in their own right. Today I gave it a bit more thought as I was waiting on a client's arrival. I had a moment or two, after flicking through my emails, to take notice of my environmental surroundings. Within the distance and just a few hundred yards away, my eye was caught by what appeared to be a building within a dense grove of trees. I decided that I wanted to take a closer look at it.

Photo by BDMiller

As this grove came into ..

A more manageable and clear view, my suspicions were affirmed. In fact this was a structure, actually multiple structures, being engulfed by its surrounding environment. I am sure it was once teeming with commercial activity, but now it lies silent and still. It has become a man made reef of the land; now home to many insect, animal and plant species. Today a home of a different kind. My deep thought and curiosity was soon interrupted by the sound of tires on gravel and my clients approach. Today will not be the day to explore this ruin :-/

Later that day I had a moment ..

To think about how the human hand within the environment, if left alone, will eventually (over time) slowly revert back. Maybe not to what it was, but back to something environmentally substantial. Natures way of cleaning up our mess and taking back what was once hers. At a quick glance, this looks to be a chaotic mess of old buildings and plant life. There is no Zen going on here. For me, upon a more detailed visual approach, It’s rather quite beautiful. In my eyes I see an artistic combination of human mashed with nature. In the future this structure will be fully overtaken and out of sight. People will drive by and never even realize remnants of buildings are located here. Or maybe I am in denial that it’s the human way to clear, clean, cut down, flatten, and renew lands for our own benefit. So I suppose it is humanly possible that this grove of mortar and plant life may again ride the wave of development pushing succession back into the past.

Fear Not ! ..

Nature has a way of finding the cracks and re-seeding herself. She will expand those cracks, grow her roots deep and wide, eventually reclaiming (again) what was once hers from the start. Hopefully I am around with a camera when that happens!

A closer shot..

Photo by BDMiller

Until Next Time ..

Have a great rest of your day everyone!