@nancywisser Ugh, I hate that. I have a friend, a park volunteer, who leads nature walks in the spring to see the spring ephemerals. She’s found holes too.

I’ve also given over my garden to native plants, including a few rescues. It feels like walking a tightrope to get a balance: On one hand, there is a tiny corner of really nice intact habitat that I want to nurture, while on the other hand there’s the clear-cut suburban lawn that needs major restoration work ASAP.

@nancywisser @johncarlosbaez @arisummerland To paraphrase Frank Landis, think of life as an infinite game where the goal is to keep as many players — critters, plants, fungi, ecosystems —in the game as long as possible. All of them will come to an end eventually, but you don’t need to be the one to exterminate any of them.

@nancywisser @johncarlosbaez @arisummerland Not a fool’s errand! Every plant you can save holds the possibility of being the one who can re-emerge later when conditions are right. All biodiversity is precious, and we can’t predict which species is going to be crucial later on.

What’s worse is that we don’t have, and probably never will have, the tools to replicate intact ecosystems. The plants are very clever, but our so-called civilization is a bad neighbor. Keep conserving. #NativePlants

@johncarlosbaez As they point out in the article, the management decisions are highly site-specific. If it’s a wasteland for miles around, go wild with the invasives.

But, wow. The sedge that’s been missing for more than a century? How did it get back there? One gets the impression that somewhere off in a forgotten corner, some plants have been quietly biding their time.

@arisummerland @johncarlosbaez I’m with you: Let the plants decide. It’s never clear how much human intervention is helpful, but the track record thus far suggests that the prudent thing is for people to do less. Maybe reintroduce some species and see if they take hold, and maybe remove “crap plants” to let plants that take longer to establish have a chance. But then stand back and let evolution do its thing.

@afewbugs @tops @purplepadma Beautiful creatures!

@afewbugs Can I put in a small request to see the snails as well?