August and September at slag sites like Marian Byrnes are vibrant and full of special plants like ladies’ tresses orchids and Eleocharis genituclata, a rare spikerush.

Only a few years ago this place was dominated by fascinating but unruly spontaneous vegetation. Removal of invasive species, and a light touch on selective plant additions with intentional focus on vegetation that already are known to persist in slag habitats, lets this park lean into its spontaneous origins as a riotous garden.