Blue-eyed grass

Blue-eyed grass (Sisyrinchium angustifolium) started to appear all over the garden after trees were felled to let in more light. I've read it prefers well drained soils but tolerates seasonal wetness well. It's also a good self-seeder.

This plant is in a very wet spot but it's certainly competing well with other plants: several weed grasses, dandelion, of course, Equisetum arvense, clover, seedling asters, probably other things I can't identify here. Since its numbers increase every year, I'm assuming it will be around for a while.

As all the different plants in the garden continue to grow and increase in number, I imagine what might be happening underground, where their roots are gradually forming a continuous mat that helps seal the ground surface and

prevents more weedy species from getting a foothold. But more competitive species will always find a place. I'll be hand-pulling golden rod for many years to come, I'm sure. And I wonder if I'll ever vanquish the Japanese stilt grass and pasture grasses that make such messy neighbors.

I think the best I can hope for is a kind of balance, a standoff, where I have a slight advantage because I have eyes to see, a brain to discriminate between the winners and the losers, hands to pull. But I won't be around forever. The plants will eventually prevail and do as they want.