Grass leading recovery

Various grass species have established a dense stand on this path where the shrub vegetation had been destroyed. Disturbed vegetation in this spot near Bainskloof where renosterveld meets fynbos may well recover by acquiring a covering such as it has never seen before.

Grasses invade disturbed land in road reserves in many parts, normally bearing other vegetation than grassland. This may be observed by the motorist motivated by the journey as well as the destination. This suggests possibilities of future grasslands appearing in regions that don’t know grass much today, depending on the continually changing conditions in humanly "improved" nature.

While the grasses seen here may be largely indigenous species, they are colonial pioneers more than endemic ones, acting in accordance with the species enhancing opportunism that lurks in everything that lives.

This bears comparison to the difficulties encountered in attempting repair of humpty dumpty. The king (or the president’s) horticulturists cannot put renosterveld or fynbos back again, once it has been lost through thoughtless or greedy actions.