On hikes in the foothills of the Angelus National Forest, we can find invasive species flirting with native ecosystems, and there’s something dramatic and profound about seeing in real time, in first person, the edge of civilization kissing wilderness. In vacant lots we can be a spectator to botany operating on its own terms – and when we think about the geographic origins of these species, we come to realize that feral spaces are mirrors of our civilizations – we are communities of immigrants doing our best to survive.