young 'forest'

14 years ago

There's an open field behind my neighbors house that gets mowed once or twice a year. I've noticed pear seedlings there before, but this year has seen an astounding jump. They're easy to see now that they have their fall color:

Here's one view

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Looking the other direction with my 5 year old for scale

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It's striking to me how well distributed the seedlings are in the field. Keep in mind the field was mowed sometime in the summer, these are fast growers!

Oer the summer I drove through part of Delaware, and saw what appeared to be fields of pear trees at least 10 feet tall, packed like sardines. I'm sure that's what this field would look like in a few years if it weren't mowed. These ornamental pears planted all over really are dispersive!

Alex

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Comments (10)

jqpublic
14 years ago
Wow! I wonder if there is a type of bird that enjoys pear fruit and open fields. It's truly amazing how many there are!
brandymulvaine
14 years ago
They do have a beautiful fall color!
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brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
Your neighbors better watch out and mow more often or they may find themselves unable to easily maintain the land. These pesky scourges develop thorns that can puncture tractor tires.
poaky1
14 years ago
Roundup Brush killer!
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
14 years ago
a sure sign of an invasive plant .... using the term loosely .... as in it invading that land ... rather than some bureaucrats pronouncement ...

ken
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
Actually, the "bureaucrats pronouncement" is the result of seeing multiple (in most cases) instances of this type of thing. When the biologist, ecologists, or whoever see that the non-native plants are popping up everywhere, they tell the appropriate bureaucrats and the bureaucrats, hopefully, make their pronouncement that the plant in question is invasive (and not just loosely). LOL
brandon7 TN_zone7
14 years ago
....Without the pronouncement, Alex might realize that there is a problem, but his neighbor down the road might not have any idea and go to his local nursery, fall in love with a beautiful Bradford pear, and take it home for planting!
lucky_p
14 years ago
Ah, it looks as though that field was 'visited' by flocks of robins or starlings that had recently fed on the bazillion little fruits of callery pears in the neighborhood.

I've also seen substantial tracts of land, in TN and AL that are virtual pear forests - just like that one would be in a few short years if the owners don't keep them at bay.

Fall color, yes. On yearly trips home to and from Alabama, one way I pass the time is counting the 'volunteer' callery pear seedlings - in the winter they're easy to pick out due to the colorful foliage(yes, they often hold their leaves well into Jan/Feb, down South), while in spring, their white bloom is a stark reminder of their (expanding) presence.
aspenacres
14 years ago
Trees like that can be very annoying. If you leave them alone they'll become a forest and you can't really do anything with the land. Plus, native trees can't grow because they get crowded by the pear tress.
greenlarry
14 years ago
The plum tree in our garden produces suckers all over the lawn like this if the grass isnt cut!