Groundcover or ground cover is any plant that grows over an area of ground. Groundcover provides protection of the topsoil from erosion and drought.
Groundcover of Vinca major
Groundcover in a forest in Dülmen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany
Microstegium vimineum, an invasive groundcover
Senecio tropaeolifolius
Soil conservation is the prevention of loss of the topmost layer of the soil from erosion or prevention of reduced fertility caused by over usage, acidification, salinization or other chemical soil contamination.
Erosion barriers on disturbed slope, Marin County, California
Contour plowing in Pennsylvania in 1938. The rows formed slow surface water run-off during rainstorms to prevent soil erosion and allow the water time to infiltrate into the soil.
Salt deposits on the former bed of the Aral Sea
Yellow fungus, a mushroom that assists in organic decay