I...tried to make a meme and got carried away and made A Thing that is like partially unfinished because i spent like 3 hours on it and then got tired.
I think this is mostly scientifically accurate but truth be told, there seems to be relatively little research on succession in regards to lawns specifically (as opposed to like, pastures). I am not exaggerating how bad they are for biodiversity though—recent research has referred to them as "ecological deserts."
Feel free to repost, no need for credit
Transplanting is a great idea and easier than a lot of people think
I strongly, strongly, strongly suggest learning to identify some common trees and plants in seedling stage so you can recognize them growing, especially in gravel, which is easy because if you remove the gravel bits carefully you can pull the roots out undamaged, put the plant in a pot, and it will 95% probably live. This is how i've gotten over a hundred seedlings of various trees and flowers
My posts about it should be tagged "gardening" but listen—the landscaping business is by no means "unfortunate." Make it a service offered on the side to identify baby plants, or offer discounts if they let you transplant seedlings from their yard...possibilities are endless!