One of the most energizing aspects of restoring native habitat is watching the changes in the flora and fauna after the invasives are removed. Every day and in every season, I note subtle changes in the environment. Watching the evolving nature of the landscape is one of the most exciting aspects of what I have done.

But capturing the “before” and “after” photos is incredibly challenging, I find. So I created an aggregation of photos to show the general nature of the changes underway.

The coverage of vines throughout the tree canopy lends a flatness to the view– there is very little depth. But as the invasive vines are removed, the view opens up, and one can see the underlying structure of the land and what is on it.

The area along the Potomac River above Georgetown is among the most beautiful areas in the region, once the land starts to heal. The biggest changes that I see are in the early springtime, when the ephemeral wildflowers are out. In areas that have been cleared of the overhanging invasives, the flowers are proliferating.

I have tried to capture the changes that have happened in the forest near the Potomac in a variety of ways. Here is a chart that I created. Please note that I did not include any description of the ground layer, as that is still mostly unchanged throughout: