The ecologist documented the regrowth over five years. After the first burn cleared the entire plot, pioneer grasses seeded in from the surrounding forest, colonizing the edges of the grid first. Each year the green border thickened inward by one cell — first the perimeter, then the next ring. By the third year the whole grid was covered. Then lightning struck again. The second fire was smaller, confined to the interior, but it burned hot enough to kill the newest growth — the innermost cells, the ones with the thinnest root mats. Only the outer two rings of established grass survived. She watched the cycle begin again the following spring.