The Nature of the London Bomb Sites

When there were massive destruction to cities in Europe and Asia during the Second World War, what people noticed was the quick reclamation of those sites by wild vegetation. It really kind of shocked people that the nature could be so dynamic. And it was very heartening in a time of violence and destruction that nature could be buoyant. In Berlin, these plants started spouting in the central railway station that had come with the Ukrainian army when the Red Army came into Berlin. They came along railway lines and established themselves in the city. A lot of seeds come into the city and pack in cases. They spill out. They find places. That's where we get this term urban ecology comes from.