this post was submitted on 20 Apr 2025
616 points (97.4% liked)

Science Memes

14383 readers
1772 users here now

Welcome to c/science_memes @ Mander.xyz!

A place for majestic STEMLORD peacocking, as well as memes about the realities of working in a lab.

Rules

  1. Don't throw mud. Behave like an intellectual and remember the human.
  2. Keep it rooted (on topic).
  3. No spam.
  4. Infographics welcome, get schooled.

This is a science community. We use the Dawkins definition of meme.

Research Committee

Other Mander Communities

Science and Research

Biology and Life Sciences

Physical Sciences

Humanities and Social Sciences

Practical and Applied Sciences

Memes

Miscellaneous

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
Sal@mander.xyz
fossilesque@mander.xyz
SciBot@mander.xyz
fossilesque@lemmy.dbzer0.com
616
succession (mander.xyz)
submitted 6 days ago by fossilesque@mander.xyz to c/science_memes@mander.xyz
67 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] jabathekek@sopuli.xyz 114 points 6 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (2 children)

IIRC there are ways to greatly speed this up by selectively planting certain fast growing trees to attract certain birds that will poop all over your lawn thus planting certain seeds. Basically you skip the first two steps with free bird poop. I think it was an old rail siding in London somewhere... or something like that. They planted a single willow tree that attracted the birds and BOOM ~~head shot~~ habitat.

https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-urban-show/urban-gardening/guerrilla-gardening

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/sylvia-wilde-a-forest-garden-primer

[–] Entheon@lemmy.world 25 points 6 days ago (1 children)

That's really interesting! Do you have any links or more info on this process?

[–] jabathekek@sopuli.xyz 13 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I'll try to find tho links when I have time. Remembering it more, it was I think "anarchist gardening" or something like that. It was a I think the side of a man made ravine that was in stage 1 or 2, so they sped things up a little to make it more habitable.

These aren't the links I was looking for, but they speak of the same thing. Really the one I remember is just one act from one person in what is now a large movement colloquially known as "Guerilla Gardening".

https://www.rhs.org.uk/shows-events/rhs-urban-show/urban-gardening/guerrilla-gardening

https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/sylvia-wilde-a-forest-garden-primer

[–] dylanmorgan@slrpnk.net 8 points 5 days ago (1 children)

The forest garden description is very similar to what I have seen described as a “permaculture forest” elsewhere.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] kamenlady@lemmy.world 13 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Basically you skip the first two steps with free bird poop.

Can i apply this to other areas as well, like building a house or something else?

[–] jabathekek@sopuli.xyz 7 points 5 days ago

Of course, but the steps you skip might not be the ones you want to skip. I.e. free bird poop would only come into effect after the house was built progressing between the step of removing a human centred habitat and the gradual growth of a normal habitat.

[–] MoonMelon@lemmy.ml 43 points 5 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago) (2 children)

You're going to have ticks in the native area too, especially the marginal zones. They love those. Ticks are native, unfortunately. Remediating your land for native insects' benefit will actually be better for ticks than having an acre of 2" turf grass, but that's just because short lawns are totally ecologically dead.

When I was more uninformed I was more of a purist. The more I've done on my own property, and the more I've consulted with experts, the more I've learned that it's actually a balance between human needs and ecology. Now I'm sort of in the "if planting turf grass by your house is what you need to be on board with the rest of it, fine."

We can't promise people ticks will go away, more like teach people the critical value of native insects. Keep tall grass away from your house, sure, but think about walkways instead of acres of lawn for the rest of it. People plant lawns and call Mosquito Joe to fog it all so "their children can play" but consider your children living in a world with no bugs at all. That's the trade off. IMO it's a lot more scary than ticks, and I fucking hate ticks.

[–] Jax@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago) (1 children)

I'm required to keep a 100 ft perimeter of defensible space around my house, so I do need to clear quite a bit. I try to leave as much otherwise, recently (5 ish years) I had considerable sprouting of volunteer oaks. Probably 15 or so across my property, not sure if that's indicative of the land being healthier but we get a decent amount of wild mushrooms as well.

[–] MoonMelon@lemmy.ml 3 points 5 days ago

Oak are great. A lot of the understory in oak/hickory forest is now maple and tulip poplar due to shifting climate and possibly deer pressure. It's called mesophication.

My property is also oak/hickory complex and I can say anecdotally that the native understory has a lot of tulip poplar.

[–] other_cat@lemmy.zip 5 points 5 days ago (5 children)

One of my relatives' primary concerns isn't ticks, it's mice getting into the house. Is that a valid concern? Personally I think just keeping a couple of indoor cats would offset encroaching rodents.

[–] drunkpostdisaster@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

Depends on that cat.

[–] MoonMelon@lemmy.ml 7 points 5 days ago

In my experience if you have access points for mice they will get in whether you have a suburban turf grass lawn or not, and a cat can't get them if they are in the walls or crawlspace. So the best bet is to seal up any holes and keep all vegetation, native or not, at least a couple of feet away from the house.

[–] Umbrias@beehaw.org 6 points 5 days ago

it kinda does both, there are more mice but the more naturalized habitat gives them more places to hide that isnt your house, especially in the spring/summer fall, but winter too. I dont know, others get mice all the time anyway, we occasionally do, i dont know if it's an improvement or not. I do know that a well sealed house in the woods with totally native habitat for acres (not mine sadly, lol) has far fewer pests than in any suburb house so i think there's merit.

[–] RebekahWSD@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

I had a cat once that let a mouse come up to it, touch noses, then run away.

It really REALLY depends on the cat.

[–] ReplicantBatty@lemmy.one 3 points 5 days ago

One of my cats would probably be scared of the mice, and the other would probably make friends with the mice. They are both disappointments to their Great Ancestors

[–] Dojan@pawb.social 40 points 5 days ago (1 children)

Hehe. The image makes it look like pine matures to oak and hickory.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 13 points 5 days ago (1 children)

this is now canon in the pokemon universe

[–] Zoomboingding@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Tallpine evolved into Oakollossal.

Oakollossal wants to learn Acorn Drop.

Forget a move to learn Acorn Drop?

[–] imPastaSyndrome@lemm.ee 50 points 6 days ago (3 children)

Okay so where can I grow something that won't be full of ticks?

[–] Photuris@lemmy.ml 49 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (2 children)

Basically, how can we, as humans, use our propensity for destroying entire species, but do it for the power of good, on purpose so we can eliminate ALL TICKS FROM THE FACE OF THE EARTH‽

[–] Squibbles@lemmy.ca 49 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Maybe we can breed super mosquitos to eat the ticks or something

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 37 points 6 days ago (2 children)

Why do you choose violence?

[–] mnemonicmonkeys@sh.itjust.works 12 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

Violence isn't the answer. It's a question, and the answer is "yes".

[–] Warehouse@lemmy.ca 8 points 5 days ago

Choosing to get rid of the ticks is already choosing violence.

[–] Quadhammer@lemmy.world 9 points 5 days ago

Get a colony of fire ants and then feed them meth and hgc

[–] jabathekek@sopuli.xyz 17 points 5 days ago (1 children)

You foster a family of possums at the same time.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] dumples@midwest.social 40 points 6 days ago (1 children)

For a lawn or yard you don't have to go all the way to a forest to have a stablish ecosystem. Perennials can do a lot.

[–] FundMECFSResearch@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

And actually in some places prarieland is probably more important for conservation.

In my case it was plant a couple of native fruit trees for me, dig a small perrenial pond and add some rocks so amphibians can feel safe, and sprinkle in seeds for native grasses, especially edible ones and let nature do it’s work. It was probably my favourite. Loved it.

Shame I don’t live there anymore.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] darklamer@lemmy.dbzer0.com 31 points 5 days ago (2 children)

There's no way you're going to get Hickory growing naturally in your garden, unless your garden is in some very specific parts of the world.

[–] SpongyAneurism@lemmy.frozeninferno.xyz 21 points 5 days ago (1 children)

This is just an example of course. Succession can look differently and lead to very different results, depending on where exactly it is happening.

I'd also argue, that leaving your garden alone to let succession run its course is not neccessarily the ideal to strive for. Even simply speeding up the process to get to the final stage isn't.

Gardens are a very different sort of ecosystem from an extended woodlands area and there are many ways to use them for human recreation and as a habitat for many species, that even exceed the biodiversity of the potentially naturally occuring ecosystem.
A trimmed suburban lawn is just one of the worst options.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] Psythik@lemm.ee 14 points 5 days ago (2 children)

So how do I skip the weeds and grasslands stages and go directly to mature oak-hickory forest, then?

[–] humorlessrepost@lemmy.world 24 points 5 days ago

Millions of dollars, and taking them from elsewhere.

[–] MDCCCLV@lemmy.ca 13 points 5 days ago

Artificially plant and water the trees. Gather a lot or pile of branches for dead wood, one of the defining parts of an old growth forest.

[–] JoYo@lemmy.ml 20 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

this weekend we chiseled off the grass sod out of our backyard in preparation for planting native perennial species. it's all clay back there so it's going to take some soil prep.

[–] turnip@sh.itjust.works 15 points 5 days ago (3 children)

Where I live you can't cut down a tree, and if it gets destroyed you need to pay thousands for a botanist to come out. I would never take the risk of planting a tree.

[–] suite403@lemmy.world 4 points 5 days ago

Yikes. One of those good in theory, but completely backfired ideas

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] JohnDClay@sh.itjust.works 22 points 6 days ago (5 children)

What does the undergrowth of an oak hickory Forest look like? People can plant the trees, but how do you get the undergrowth?

[–] masterspace@lemmy.ca 15 points 6 days ago (1 children)

Order a bunch of plants that are native to your region, plant the medium and shade loving varieties under the trees, see what sticks

[–] wise_pancake@lemmy.ca 9 points 6 days ago (2 children)

I tried that but the groundhogs and rabbits ate the native plants down to their stems

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 9 points 6 days ago* (last edited 6 days ago) (1 children)

Get a dog, mine love chasing off groundhogs and the like.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] jabathekek@sopuli.xyz 7 points 5 days ago

Try again but with groundhog and rabbit stew.

[–] Halo@lemmynsfw.com 7 points 5 days ago (2 children)

I have 20 or so acres of woods behind me. Oak, 2 types of hickory, American beech, and black cherry.

It’s just dirt. These trees have thick ass canopies

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 10 points 5 days ago (1 children)

I wish I could allow my yard to revert to the low brush it naturally was, problem is that a certain invasive weed from central fucking Asia would disagree. I blame the fucking Russians.

[–] PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 points 5 days ago (2 children)

Is it kudzu? Shit's everywhere.

[–] vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works 5 points 5 days ago (1 children)

As the other dude noted it's tumbleweed.

[–] PyroNeurosis@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 5 days ago

I guess I learned our most cherished Western stereotype is actually central asian. And that we have a major problem of invasive species across all biomes.

[–] Spacehooks@reddthat.com 11 points 6 days ago

Plant some trees to skip a few steps!

[–] wise_pancake@lemmy.ca 6 points 6 days ago

Huh, my back yard is a gradient of 1-4

load more comments
view more: next ›