Heading back to my van, the last site of the day, behind the Dock Wall and inaccessible - Trafalgar Dock. I longed to gain access onto this vast site. Peering through the gates I could see clover and yellow mellilot - nitrogen-fixing plants. Through nitrogen fixing, hard terrain like concrete is slowly transformed into a soil able to support greater diversity within the 5 Kingdoms (Bacteria, Protista, Plants, Fungi and Animals). It’s a symbiotic process; rhizobium bacteria in the root nodules of legumes like clover and mellilot break down nitrogen into ammonium ions, which the plant then uses to make protein and DNA. The Legume family form the basis of a food chain and interdependency web that sustain the 5 Kingdoms during the early stages of natural succession….
And to me, that is pure magic.
And the derelict sites in the early stages of natural succession present us with the opportunity to experience the beginning of a new nature environment.

Today’s Summary

3 miles
4 sites - blue (1), yellow (3)
4 conversations