A theme of anthropogenic disturbance theme runs throughout many of these because this region, like at least 3/4 of the planet’s ice-free surface, has been inflected or disrupted by human activity for time out of mind. I’ve definitely got an affinity for such ruderal species, who pop up after changes. I find their scrappiness inspiring. They represent the resilience of nature. They typically play temporary roles while the habitat transforms to the next stage of succession (and while they help transform it), though in the case of roadsides, this stage will persist as long as the road is maintained. Most here are native, and some are not. Previous to settler-colonialism, some of the native plants were already adapted to settings like recently uncovered rock from occurences like landslides, and a road cut is enough of an analogue for them to be at home there. Others just like edges and clearings, which are also provided by roads, homesteads, campgrounds, etc.