Head outside in mid-April and you’ll notice many trees springing into bloom.
This week on Discover Nature, we pay special attention to an unwelcome invader: the Callery pear tree.
Callery pears, which include the commonly known Bradford pear, are easily identifiable right now: deciduous trees reaching mature heights of 30-50 feet, with a pyramid-shaped crown covered in clusters of tiny white flowers with an unpleasant odor.
Not to be confused with native dogwoods or serviceberries, these invasive cultivars have brittle limbs, and cross-pollination in the wild often produces new generations with large, ominous thorns.
Callery pears grow well in nearly every type of soil and spread easily – even infiltrating dense woods, choking-out beneficial native trees and wildflowers in short order.
Help stop the spread of these trees – DO NOT PLANT THEM – and consider replacing existing Callery pears with Missouri-native species such as dogwoods, serviceberries, redbuds, or sassafras.
Learn more about the threat Callery pear trees pose to native plant and wildlife communities, and other native alternatives to replace these nuisance trees on your landscape with the Missouri Department of Conservation’s online field guide, tree care resource page, and the Missouri Invasive Plant Task Force.
Discover Nature is sponsored by the Missouri Department of Conservation.
