Colonization

This old tree trunk has been lying beside the estuary for several years, washed up in a storm no doubt and not shifted since despite the high tides that lap around it.  I always stop and look to see what fungi, moss and lichen  have arrived to exploit the nutrients stored inside, decomposing the structure of the wood as they do so. Likewise the insects and their larvae feasting inside the timber,
In turn as all these organisms wither and die they provide the wherewithal for plants to take hold. Air-borne seeds settle and germinate, suckers reach out and take root, other material arrive by water. Today I was surprised to notice a dozen or so new different species in a glance: dock, dandelion, ragwort, foxglove, several grasses and a sedge, bramble and honeysuckle, even a clump of seabeet had taken hold beneath.

Colonization has acquired negative connotations with regard to human history but in the natural world it could help to save our planet.  Even now there are some positive reports coming out of Australia as some of the trees begin to regenerate. That won't bring back the lives and homes of the people affected by the fires but it does represent a new beginning for wild life. And did you hear about the pink slug that has also survived?