Pear trees are not found in the 36-page Fort Wayne Plant List with photos and information by the City of Fort Wayne. Native plant species are recommended over exotic foreign species because they are well adapted to local climate conditions. This will result in less replacement and maintenance, while supporting the local ecology.
All those white blooming trees you see everywhere... do you think they are pretty? If you knew what they actually represent, you would choke on your morning coffee.
All those white blooming trees you see everywhere... do you think they are pretty? If you knew what they actually represent, you would choke on your morning coffee.
I have always loved this quote [ When you know better... You do better ] by Maya Angelou and I was thinking about it this morning as I was driving by all of the pear trees that are blooming so profusely around town. This tree was planted when no one knew any better and originally was sterile when it was first introduced into the landscape industry. Over the years, it has become highly invasive and is now in natural areas like our Eagle Marsh wetlands. It is out-competing our native plants and it is time that we do better. Please don't plant this tree at your house and if you see it for sale, feel free to respectfully ask that it not be sold. Here are a couple photos of the trees that have invaded an area along W. Jefferson Blvd., just one of many. Look around as you drive and you'll notice where these trees are growing that they were obviously not planted.
Now that we know better, we can do better.
Small blooming pears along US-24/I-469 at Stellhorn Road, May 2018 Street View photo from Google Maps
Several housing subdivisions surround shopping centers extensively planted with flowering pear trees which are escaping into the surrounding areas as birds consume the fruit and drop seeds as they fly around. Current Street View photos show larger fuller trees.
Callery pear, also known as Bradford pear, so pretty blooming but it’s a fast-growing non-native tree that is spreading...
Callery pear, also known as Bradford pear, so pretty blooming but it’s a fast-growing non-native tree that is spreading from our yards, crowding out our native trees & taking over our public places & wild woods. Many pears were planted along streets & in parks before the landscaping community understood the hazards of invasive trees like the pear. Serviceberry or Eastern redbud are nice alternatives here in the Midwest.
A common sight along highways where you can look down on acres of invasive callery pear trees.
WOW! Check out this amazing drone photography by Midwest DRONE Services, LLC demonstrating just how invasive Callery...
WOW! Check out this amazing drone photography by Midwest DRONE Services, LLCdemonstrating just how invasive Callery Pears can be! These photos were taken north of Loogootee, and between Washington & Petersburg this spring. If you or your neighbor have been reluctant to cut down ornamental pears planted in your landscaping, just take a second look at these photos for WHY it is so important.
There are a lot of pretty #TREES in Fort Wayne, but some of them can be pretty terrible too. Our Superintendent of Urban...
There are a lot of pretty #TREES in Fort Wayne, but some of them can be pretty terrible too. Our Superintendent of Urban Forestry Derek Veit put together an informative article about one of those AWFULLY beautiful trees. #ArborDay#TreeCityWeek#FortWayneAn AWFULL Beautiful Tree
Invasive exotic Bradford pears being removed. They will take over natural areas, and their seeds are mildly poisonous. ...
Invasive exotic Bradford pears being removed. They will take over natural areas, and their seeds are mildly poisonous. Please don't plant these, and if you have them, consider replacing them with native trees like serviceberry.
Invasive and Ecological Destructive- callery pears
Pyrus calleryana, commonly called callery pear, ‘Cleveland select,’ ‘Bradford pear,’ and by other cultivar names, is a common but highly invasive ornamental tree from China. Landscapers, municipalities, and homeowners have planted them by the millions because they are cheap, have attractive white blooms, and are fast growers. Initially, callery pears were sterile and therefore didn't reproduce, but they quickly hybridized with other pear trees and escaped into natural areas.
Ecologists agree these trees negatively impact our local environment and have urged the state to prohibit their sale but have been unsuccessful to date. The nursery industry continues to profit from the sale of these environmentally dangerous trees.
The ecological damage of the callery pear is most apparent now, while they are in bloom. As you travel in April and May, please take notice of these trees not only in suburban areas but also where they've escaped cultivation and are now impacting native plant diversity and creating horrific monocultures.
How you can help:
* Share this information with your friends, neighbors, and city officials.
* Volunteer at parks as land trusts to help remove them from diverse ecosystems where they are taking over.
* Remove them from your landscapes.
* Ask nurseries you patronize to stop selling them.
* Ensure your local officials and municipal staff know of their impact and ask for their removal in public areas.
Q: What's the best way to prune a Bradford Pear? A: CUT IT DOWN! Can you smell rotting fish in the air this spring? ...
Q: What's the best way to prune a Bradford Pear?
A: CUT IT DOWN!
Can you smell rotting fish in the air this spring? That’s the awful Callery pear tree, also known as Bradford pear, one of the earliest trees to bloom and one of the most terrible threats to Indiana’s natural landscapes. Overused by landscapers due to its showy blooms, fast growth, and upright stature, this tree is wreaking havoc on Indiana’s biodiversity by spreading rapidly to wild open spaces, where seeds from bird droppings and cross-pollination create monoculture landscapes of dense thickets with sharp thorns – sharp enough to puncture a tractor tire! – that choke out native species and diminish crucial habitat and food for pollinators.
The Bradford pear’s showy white spring blossoms smell disgusting (many compare it to dead fish) yet these trees are a popular landscaping choice for many who don’t realize how devastating they are for Indiana’s environment. A weak tree prone to wind and ice damage, they are also a hazard with a very short lifespan of only 20-25 years.
The Callery pear issue is a rather complex one. Broadford Pear was first introduced to America in the late 1950's. It was the almost perfect tree. It came from a region in China similar in latitude to the U,S. it had a lollipop form, spring flowers, great fall color. The tree was also virtually sterile producing little if any fruit. I remember looking at some examples of the first flowering Bradford pears planted at Purdue in the mid-1980's. The issue with Bradford was their branching habit since all the branches were attached in the same area of the tree, it would break up over time in ice or snow or wind events. So plant breeders went back to that region of china and found other flowering pears that had better branching habits than Bradford. Cleveland select was and still is a common flowering pear cultivar. The other issue with flowering pears is that they are grafted on a rootstock of a similar species that has thorns and has roots that are highly adaptable to tough soil types. In recent years all of a sudden the different overplanted flowering pears scattered across our landscapes began to cross pollinate and produce fruit. In addition the rootstocks of these ornamental pears began to produce suckers below the graft union that also crossed pollinated with the pears and also produced berries. The berries were eaten by birds and scattered over areas. So the pears we see invading wild areas are actually wild hybrids and not the actual cultivars. In other words Bradford pear itself is not the issue, it was a combination of factors that led to wild seedlings of flowering pear becoming invasive. it happened and it is regretful perhaps our zeal to find the perfect tree for landscapes backfired and certainly money was involved. it is too late to point fingers but it is clear that this is an increasing problem because the trees are taking over areas that normally would be occupied by natives such as eastern red cedar. The point of my post was to say that confusing information about the issue and inaction by task forces only will make the problem worse. Trying to fix this issue will present many challenges but i think we can solve it over time.
Ricky Kemery is a Professor of Horticulture at Purdue University Fort Wayne and Former Extension Educator at Purdue University. He posts to The Plant Medic on Facebook with Intro: Gardening information from the Horticulture Educator (retired from the Allen County Extension for 20 years) Ricky Kemery and Jane Ford, Advance Master Gardener and garden writer columnist for the News Sentinel for 9 years. Ricky occasionally writes articles for The Journal Gazette newspaper.
The City of Fort Wayne will be celebrating National Trails Day with a trail improvement project of removing invasive...
The City of Fort Wayne will be celebrating National Trails Day with a trail improvement project of removing invasive Bradford Pear trees along the Pufferbelly Trail. They will need 6 – 12 volunteers. Each volunteer is asked to bring a bow saw (preferred) or hand saw. We’ll park in the back of the Cookie Cottage, 620 West Washington Center Rd, on June 5th. The project will begin at 9 a.m. and end by Noon. They will follow up with a tree planting to replace the Bradford Pears with native trees this fall. If you are interested in helping contact Dawn Ritchie at Dawn.Ritchie@cityoffortwayne.org or 260-427-6002.
Callery pear is one of the most urgent threats to Indiana’s natural areas. Cultivars include Bradford pear, Cleveland...
Callery pear is one of the most urgent threats to Indiana’s natural areas. Cultivars include Bradford pear, Cleveland select, autumn blaze, aristocrat, red spire, Chanticleer, and many others. All cultivars of Callery pear are invasive - there are no exceptions.
Overused by landscapers due to their showy blooms, fast growth, and upright stature, Callery pear trees are wreaking havoc on Indiana’s biodiversity by spreading rapidly to wild open spaces, where seeds from bird droppings and cross-pollination create monoculture landscapes of dense thickets with sharp thorns (sharp enough to puncture a tractor tire!) that choke out native species and diminish crucial habitat and food for pollinators.
Callery pears are one of the first trees to bloom in spring. Their showy white spring blossoms smell disgusting and many compare it to dead fish. Yet these trees are a popular landscaping choice for many who don’t realize how devastating they are for Indiana’s environment.
A weak tree prone to wind and ice damage, they are also a safety concern with a very short lifespan of only 20-25 years.
Protecting Indiana’s forests starts at home in our backyards. Help by removing invasive species before they spread into the natural areas we love and protect.
MIPN has just posted a new article "Pears on the Loose!" contributed by Dr. Theresa Culley. Ohio is the first state to outright regulate the Callery pear, banning it from commercial sale and distribution in January of this year. Learn more about this tree and what is being done to help curtail its spread and impact. Pears on the Loose!
For those wondering why callery pear isn't regulated in Indiana (yet), it was proposed to be included on the Terrestrial Invasive Plant Rule that when into effect in 2020, however it was removed after an economic analysis. It is on a list of species prosed to be added as an amendment to the rule (all species ranked, or revaluated as highly invasive), however that is awaiting next steps by the DNR Division of Entomology and Plant Pathology. More info on that at Indiana Invasive Species Council.
Did you see Cliff on FOX59 News this morning, talking about the issues with Callery pear trees? If not, you can catch it here.
