Botanical Nerd Word: Ruderal

Disturbed soil showing quick colonisation by dandelions

Ruderal: Of a plant: growing on waste ground or among rubbish, esp. as a pioneer.*

The grass on this construction site has been scraped away, leaving bare soil and debris. Unsurprisingly, the spot has been quickly taken over by tough, ruderal dandelions.

*OED Online. Oxford University Press, March 2017.