The Ecological Succession

This flow follows the disruption of human-managed ecosystems and the unpredictable returns of wild species after people disappear.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

The Untended Streets

The Untended Streets Domestic life unravels Dogs, cats, and livestock are suddenly without owners or routine care. Some find food and water, while confined animals die where they are trapped. Wildness advances Plants overgrow lawns and roads, and coyotes move through formerly busy highways. Isherwood Williams reads these changes as the beginning of a new ecological order.

The Sheep’s Decline

The Sheep’s Decline A lost protector Flocks survive briefly after their shepherds vanish, while sheepdogs continue to herd them through habit. Predators begin taking animals the flock cannot defend. Domestication’s cost Without human protection, sheep struggle to find water and avoid hazards. Their dependence on shepherding shows how specialization can make a species vulnerable when its supporting system disappears.

The Ants’ Sudden Peak

The Ants’ Sudden Peak A population explosion Ants spread across Isherwood Williams’s neighborhood, invading houses and overwhelming efforts to keep food clean. Their numbers seem to challenge every familiar limit. A silent collapse The ants then vanish from sight almost as abruptly as they appeared. Isherwood Williams suspects depleted food or disease, but cannot determine the cause.

The Rat Outbreak

The Rat Outbreak A citywide surge Rats multiply on stored food and fill the built-up area. The household fears that the infestation may carry plague, while the rodents strip stores of edible goods. Scarcity and retreat As food dwindles, rats attack one another and become harder to see. Their visible swarm subsides, leaving the surviving population to shelter and forage beyond the open streets.

The Animal Balance

The Animal Balance An unsettled landscape Cattle expand, grasshoppers consume vegetation, and mountain lions flourish while prey is abundant. Success for one species repeatedly creates pressure elsewhere. A shifting equilibrium Drought and predation reverse temporary booms. Isherwood Williams learns that nature is not simply recovering a fixed past but developing new balances without human control.

During Isherwood Williams’s first journey through the Bay Area

During Isherwood Williams’s west-to-east journey

Within the first post-Disaster year

After Isherwood Williams and Em establish a household

Across the first decades after the catastrophe