Bradford Pear

Usually, I concentrate on native plants and animals and avoid writing about and photographing cultivated varieties. But sometimes the light's right and a plant is simply perfect, even if it is an invasive species that almost everyone finds reason to dislike. If you check out "Bradford Pear"—a native of China and Vietnam that has been planted way too often in this country—you'll get a lot of acid commentary and many suggestions that what such trees need is a bona fide chainsaw massacre. But there was a reason that Pyrus calleryana became so popular, and it wasn't solely because of its ability to thrive under harsh urban and suburban conditions. The small trees, grown right, as they have been in my neighbor's yard, where they have plenty of sun and space, are just drop-dead gorgeous in early May, when they're covered in white blooms and returning songbirds. I'll cut these ornamental pears some slack.