The Asian Pear is a Beautiful Flowering Tree
Pear Branch
Every once in a while, I like to take the back roads home from work. I never know what I might see on those roads. I’m usually looking for wildlife or wildflowers, but once I even got to watch a group of men herding cattle from one field to another using dogs and horses. There’s also a cattle egret rookery along that route that I like to check for signs of activity (it’s still a bit…
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Now the pears are in bloom and after them the apple blossoms, the sweetest of all!
Then the tulip poplars and black locusts and way in the distance in June the catalpas. So much beauty on the way!
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PSA: FUCK CALLERY PEARS!!!
The callery pear, sometimes known by the name of its infamous domestic cultivar, the Bradford pear, is a HIGHLY invasive species throughout the US! At this time of year (late winter to early spring), callery pears bloom and leaf out before any other native tree species, which can lead to overcrowding.
The history of the fuckass Bradford pear:
The Bradford cultivar of the callery pear was introduced into the United States in the 1960s as the ultimate ornamental tree: it flowers and leaves out early, it is naturally straight and tall, and grows super quick. Its leaves are deep red in fall and its toxic fruits are candy to birds. But these attributes would lead to it being a highly invasive species. Where I live, these trees are already greening up when most grass is still barely colored. The fact is that these trees fill in before any others, crowding out younger native plants.
(image courtesy of Leslie Mehrnoff)
Then there are the growing habits of the Bradford pear. The Bradford was originally praised for its rapid, even growth. However, these trees grow so fast that they can't build as much strength as slower-growing species, such as oaks. The forks in limbs and branches are the weak spots, and any amount of wind sends down showers of twigs. When I was younger, I lived in a house with three of these fuckers out front, and it was a hassle to constantly pick up branches and twigs from the lawn.
(image courtesy of Rebekah Wallace)
As a result of their accelerated growth, Bradford pears are HIGHLY susceptible to storm damage, and this can hurt houses, automobiles and other people's property. On top of that, they're not very pretty to look at whenever they're not flowering or colored up for fall.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Pull/dig up any suckers or saplings that you find. Beware that wild-type callery pears have enormous thorns on the ends of their branches, so proceed with caution.
Cut them the hell down. Depending on where you live, you may receive payment or even a free native tree for pear trees you cut down. Note, DO NOT cut down trees on others' property without permission from the owner of said property.
Inform others! The best way to stop the spread of these trees is to teach others about the problem! More people cutting down callery pears means less shitty invasive trees!
Thank you for your consideration!
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