ECOSYSTEM.....

I've heard the word of course, but wasn't quite sure how a ecosystem works.  So I went to Google and then to Wiki.  You can see the full Wiki explanation here.

This is what Google gave me.
"a biological community of interacting organisms and their physical environment."

This is what Wiki says:
 "An ecosystem is a community of living organisms in conjunction with the nonliving components of their environment (things like air, water and mineral soil), interacting as a system. These biotic and abiotic components are regarded as linked together through nutrient cycles and energy flows. As ecosystems are defined by the network of interactions among organisms, and between organisms and their environment they can be of any size but usually encompass specific, limited spaces (although some scientists say that the entire planet is an ecosystem)."


This is a big mess.  This past winter it all came crashing down.  You may ask what the heck is this.  It's a Trumpet Vine that has taken over my garden.  Trumpet Vines are very pretty but they are also very invasive. I tried for years to control it, but it's a losing battle.  I gave up and the Trumpet Vine won.  It has strangled all my flowers that were planted in the garden. 

 This is what it looked like when it was at it's full glory.

Back to the ecosystem.  I wanted to tear it all down.  Because as you can see it's a little on the untidy side.  Well, a lot untidy.  But our son said not too as it was kind of like an ecosystem.  So that's what prompted me to search out what exactly an ecosystem was.  I'm sure it's not as pretty or scientifically an ecosystem, but it's our ecosystem.  The birds love it.  They nest and hide out there.  In the winter they use it's spider web of vines to sit and get out of the cold.  There are also frogs, snails, slugs, gophers and chipmunks that live inside this little ecosystem.  They all interact in this "mess" as I call it.  So for now I guess it will stay.  I bet if you look around your yard you have an ecosystem too.