[PCA] ARTICLE: Nearly 1, 000 people [in KS/MO] who chop down a Bradford or other Callery pear in their yards this spring will get to pick a free native tree.

[Park, Margaret E]

KCUR | By Celia Llopis-Jepsen, Published April 12, 2022 at 9:10 AM CDT

Let’s talk about very hungry caterpillars.

In Kansas and Missouri, they face an increasingly difficult time finding things to eat. That’s making it ever harder for butterflies and moths to survive.

Their populations are shrinking, especially in the Midwest<https://apnews.com/article/sd-state-wire-maryland-ks-state-wire-science-biology-767ab6cab1fad77e824149aad0e4fee9>, and the birds that eat them are disappearing, too<https://www.birds.cornell.edu/home/bring-birds-back>.

The invasive Callery pear trees (also known as Bradford pears, Cleveland pears, etc.) spreading like weeds across Kansas and Missouri don’t get all the blame — not by a longshot.

And yet these ornamental trees with the white springtime blossoms and a pungent smell pose a significant problem. Stopping them from continuing to choke out native flowers, shrubs and trees would bring back food for wildlife.

This month, if you help with the effort, you can get a free native tree.

Read full article: https://www.kmuw.org/2022-04-12/in-johnson-county-biologists-are-poisoning-trees-to-save-birds-and-butterflies?fbclid=IwAR2tf9JJWuK_N3oEaTr5GSnvpDqBnuS0yzgXhDywFvSpM0PZnPRkwoZYNDk
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