Superfund Sedums

LOCATION : WILLAMETTE COVE, OREGON

MATERIALS : SEDUMS, OLD PAINT CAN, AT SUPERFUND SITE

Sedums are a unique succulent plant that can survive in the harshest of conditions with minimal nutrients, soil, and water.  Usually sedums are found in the mountains growing out of rock crevices where very little soil exists for its roots to hold onto and have physical capabilities to retain moisture in its plant matter.  

These sedums are found along the Willamette Cove superfund site along the Willamette River in Portland Oregon.  The industrial site contains ruins of past industry that left contaminated soils in an area that is to become a public green way in the future. The site has been abused by humanity over the years and still manages to collect detritus from its current users.  

Along the edges of a large concrete slab that either functioned as a parking lot or as foundation for a building are sedums thriving within a layer of moss. The sedums and moss grow along the edge where the water soil meets the concrete.  The detritus is scattered all over the old brownfields, but at times their forms can beautiful in their own right.  

The detritus could be considered a treasure or provide a function to the environment in which it has been discarded.  The old paint can could provide shelter for spider or act as planter for sedums.  At the same time the sedums almost seem to spill out of the container coloring the landscape with its amazing texture and form.  These succulents are a sign that nature will recover from the past abuses of humanity and provide a source of nutrients for other bees and other pollinators.