Have you ever thought about the grass that grows in sidewalk cracks? These hardy plants are routinely trampled, savaged by extreme summer heat, washed out by rainfall and buried by winter snow. To survive these conditions is a testament to the plant’s resilience, but it rarely gets attention.

That’s why I’m intrigued with the work of Nova Scotia researcher Jeremy Lundholm and his team at Saint Mary’s University. Their research demonstrates something simple and surprising: hardy species found in these environments are similar to those occupying nature’s own inhospitable spaces — steep cliffs and barren rock slopes.

While the connection between pavement and cliff face isn’t immediately obvious, it makes sense. Plant species that succeed in sidewalk cracks have similar qualities to ones that have adapted to inhabit crevices in exposed, rocky, windswept places.

As Lundholm says, this sort of research demonstrates that rather than seeing our communities as entirely human-created, unnatural environments, we should recognize that urban spaces are in many ways “structurally and functionally equivalent” to natural ecosystems.

In a recent article for the Nature of Cities, ecologist Eric W. Sanderson suggests we try to “conceive of cities in their entirety as ecological spaces.” This vision includes all streets, buildings and parking lots interacting with soil, water, air and “everyone and everything that participates in the great congress of life on Earth.”

Within this ecosystem, species are constantly adapting. The Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute’s Migratory Bird Center found their subjects often adapt to human environments. Some songbirds have learned to survive in noisy urban landscapes by changing melodies they use to communicate. They sing higher notes to trump ambient city noise, and deeper notes in areas with many buildings and hard surfaces. Nesting on the ledges of high-rises rather than cliff faces has even helped peregrine falcons adjust to city life and assisted their post-DDT comeback.

Yet, the speed and scale of urbanization in Canada has pushed many native species to the brink of extinction.

Ducks Unlimited found that over 72 per cent of the original wetlands in southern Ontario have been developed, and the region is now home to about one-third of the province’s species at risk.

While we need to show some love to the current occupants of nooks and crannies, we must also redouble our efforts to bring nature back to the city and enhance what assets remain.

Efforts like the Rona Urban Reforestation program are on the right track. The hardware retailer is helping to green urban spaces with its support for planting thousands of trees in Canada’s cities. This past summer it also started a pilot program aimed at promoting native shrubs and trees through in-store nurseries. Planting native species in our gardens and communities is increasingly important, because indigenous insects, birds and wildlife rely on them. Over thousands of years they have co-evolved to live in local climate and soil conditions.

Ultimately we need to recognize that while humans continue to build urban landscapes, we share these spaces with other species. 

David Suzuki is the host of the CBC’s The Nature of Things and author of more than 30 books on ecology.

Entertainer Steven Kerzner is best known for performing as Ed the Sock, the perpetually curmudgeonly host with a cigar in his mouth. But he has a soft spot in his heart for his wife, Liana, who helped produce his show and evetually became Ed’s co-host, Red. They fell in love and married in 1999. Thirteen years later, they are still going strong and share a passion for the entertainment industry, comic books and video games. Their new series, I Hate Hollywood, debuted in September. Here, the couple shares their story:

The first impression
Liana: We met at a bar where Steven (as Ed) was doing a live show. Obviously I was aware of what he did and liked it, so that was a plus. But the thing you quickly learn about Steven is that his character is just that — a character. Steven is very different [from Ed the Sock].
Steven: I was hosting a weekly gig as Ed at a Toronto bar, and a guy I’d met a previous week brought his girlfriend, Liana, to show off that he knew me. She was pretty, smart, full of life — and I couldn’t figure out what she was doing with him.

Falling in love
Steven: Her beauty and physical assets were the first thing I noticed about her, but her intelligence, charm and personality were what hooked me and still impress me.

The proposal
Liana: I don’t remember the exact words he said because it was a pretty emotional moment. I remember that it made me feel special for a few blissful moments in a week that had me feeling like I was nothing.
Steven: In retrospect, the proposal was not the kind I would do if I had a do-over. I got the engagement ring and was so excited and eager. I just went home, found Liana asleep, woke her up and proposed.   

The big day
Steven: We got married at the Estates of Sunnybrook. We gambled on an outdoor wedding, and the days preceding it were a sweltering heat wave, and rain was forecast for our wedding day. Thankfully, the rain didn’t come, and the heat wave broke for our wedding day, so it was just the right temperature for suits and dresses outdoors.

Their special bond
Steven: Liana and I share interests in “geek” pursuits; though, with her knowledge and profile in that world and her famous costumes [at comic conventions], she trumps me. Our wedding rings have the Superman shield on them.

Secret to their success
Steven: Working together from home, we have been together virtually 24/7 for 15 years. I don’t think most couples could do that. I have learned so much from Liana that has grown me as a person. I have immense respect for her and appreciate her patience when I have not always been the person I could be. I love her more every day.

Relationship advice
Steven: I think respect and admiration has to be a bedrock —and willingness to grow in ways that benefit your partner.
Liana: I think what it comes down to is that being married isn’t something you just think about when you get around to it. It’s something of value, and you have to treat it as such.