We’re Being Invaded (Part 1)

Perhaps you have heard that the Callery pear (aka Bradford pear, aka Cleveland pear) is now on the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s list of banned plants as of January 2023.

Why, you ask?  Well, if you drive around Hilliard (or really anywhere in Central Ohio) during the spring and see all those pretty white blooms on the trees that are along our roadways, in fields, abandoned areas, etc., you are seeing the effects of the Callery pear.  NONE of those trees were planted on purpose!  They spread from the trees we planted in our yards.

They are the very definition of an invasive species: “non-native species whose introduction does or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm to human health”.

But you see birds eating the seeds, you say!  Yes, birds do eat the seeds, but those trees are non-nutritious for the adults, and the adults can’t feed those seeds (or any seeds) to their young (bird babies need high fat, high protein caterpillars to grow), and no moths nor butterfly species use them to propagate their young.  They are literally “HoHo” trees for all our native animals!

And because they are growing and spreading at an unbelievably fast rate, they are crowding out our native tree species which do support our native animals.  For more info on Callery pear, check out http://go.osu.edu/pearpest  This site gives some good info about these species of tree, and some nice native tree alternatives.

You can also go to  Invasive Plants | Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ohiodnr.gov) for a ton of info on invasive plants and great alternatives.

Next month: invasive animal species!