Nature in City
Nature is the birds chirping in the meadow, the leaves of trees rustling in the forest, and the crisp air of the mountains, but it is also the novel ecosystems such as this example at the future Suttree Landing Park in South Knoxville. Given the proper conditions of light, water, and nutrients, grasses like those shown in the image above can thrive and serve as pioneers for a future ecosystem should it go uninhibited. Similarly, nonnative species of plants and animals can thrive where they have no predators. While they may not have the most important ecological functions or provide a desirable aesthetic, they are nature nonetheless. These instances of spontaneous nature are suggestive of a fifth nature proposed by Jane Amidon: a post-industrial landscape of reclamation. However, in these examples, reclamation is not occurring by human influence, but by nature itself.