I am not on the same scale as most here. However, I can speak to impenetrable superorganisms of mixed invasives, weedy seedbanks, and repurposing a property.
My property is urban. The house and carriage house were built in 1890. The lot is roughly 45' x 200' (13.7 m x 60.96 m) or 0.2084 acres (0.0843 hectares). I don't yet have an estimate of the portion left after subtracting hous, carriage house, front porch, sidewalks, etc.
To say it was almost all lawn would be an insult to lawns. It suffered from decades of abuse and neglect. The "lawn" consisted of expanses of every noxious non-native invasive weed the decades generously provided. Some tangled mats of invasive vines were the size of dinosaurs and made full use of the buildings, telephone lines, cable wires, and more!
We purchased it about 1.5 years ago. The first thing I did when we came home from the bank-signing was murder burning bushes and start attacking vines. It took daily hacking and slashing for a solid month to bring them to ground. Each time they reared their heads, we'd cut them off. In some areas, I had to peel up "sod" and the first few inches of soil to remove as waste as the seedbank was/is loaded with undesirables. Going was/is slow as I don't have a truck, am limited to how much can go to yard waste, and am working with a small budget. But bit-by-bit, it is taking shape as wildlife habitat/farmstead. I am having to work with beds because we need some lawn for paths and the dog. Also limiting how much we can do to the lawn is the fact that gas, water, sewage, & electric run underground from the street, back the entire length of the lot to the carriage house.
I am including artificial modifications such as feeders, water dishes, bird houses, bat houses, salt/mineral puddles, solitary bee nest boxes, bumble bee boxes, etc.
The first half-season and last full season we sacrificed whole flats/carloads of plants to make cuttings and increase the planted areas. We placed special importance on early & late flowering species for pollinators, flower transitions, foodplants, etc. We have a mix of natives as well as named varieties. We still have a long way to go but we keep chipping away at it.
It took 128 years to get this way. We've had 1.5. We've made lots of mistakes but focus on successes and a plan b once or thrice. It still looks like a construction site...even more so in winter. We've made a good dent while also addressing structural issues in both buildings.
You'll be fine as long as you look at it in the long-term. Don't expect quick, sweeping changes. Be happy when some do happen. Just keep chipping away. You'll notice, and so will the animals.
