Beauties of Bradford Pears

     Bradford pears, also known as Callery pears, are in full bloom every mid-April here in the Middle Atlantic States of the United States, which adds much beauty to the cities, towns and suburbs where they are abundantly planted as ornamental trees.  Each tree is white with innumerable white, five-petaled blooms that remain on the tree for a couple of weeks.  One can tell a tree, not only by its fruit, but by its flowers as well.  By the end of April, each pear tree begins to grow smooth, glossy, dark green leaves that create shade, and produce oxygen like any other green plant. 
     Callery pears are originally from China and Vietnam.  They became popular here in the United States around the 1980's because of their small size, which fits into city environments, rapid growth and numerous beautiful blossoms at a time when people need an emotional lift after winter's hardships.  One downside of this kind of pear is their fast-growing, but weak, limbs can be easily broken off during strong winds.  Some municipalities have rethought the wisdom of Bradford pears along city streets where broken limbs could cause damage to vehicles and people.
     Insects of several kinds visit the blossoms on Bradford pears to sip nectar and ingest pollen.  And if the insects distribute pollen from different types of this cultivar, the flowers produce fertile seeds in their berry-sized, brown fruits.  Those fruits are hard and almost woody, until a frost softens them.  Then a variety of birds, particularly starlings, American robins and cedar waxwings eat the fruits through winter, digest their pulp, but pass their seeds across the countryside as the birds travel about.  The birds, and squirrels and mice, have more food in winter and the pear tree seeds spread across the landscape and sprout.  Those wild Bradford pear trees continue to produce fertile seeds in their fruits.
     Another downer to some people is that Bradford pears are invasive trees in disturbed soil such as along roadsides and fields that were cultivated, then abandoned.  Lines of them are seen wild along roads where birds perched on roadside wires after feeding on pear fruits and relieved themselves of droppings.  And pure stands of Callery pears sprout and grow in deserted fields where birds foraged for food after feasting on pear fruits.  But, probably, native tree species are not as likely to thrive as well in disturbed niches as Callery pears.  Those pears provide food where, otherwise, there may not be so much.  And the roots of the pear trees help retain the soil during heavy rain.  I say let Bradford pears grow in places where they are not likely to out-compete native trees anyway.  
     Bradford pears are just as beautiful and interesting in November as they are in April.  When the green chlorophyll in their foliage dies, the other colors, bright red or maroon, in the leaves are visible to us.  Whole patches and thickets of this type of pear, sometimes in pure stands of them alone in overgrown, human-made habitats, and where planted in suburban neighborhoods are beautiful with those striking autumn leaves.
     And these pear trees are delightful in winter when they are without foliage.  Then their beauty is in the birds that are still eating their numerous fruit until it is gone.
     Bradford pears are aliens to North America.  They grow quickly, but can be broken down quickly by wind, perhaps causing injury or damage.  And they are invasive in many places.  But their flowers and fall leaves are pretty.  Their fruits and flowers feed a variety of wildlife.  And their roots retain soil.  I think they are here to stay and will take their place in the wild, benefiting it and  providing beauty for us.