Sometime in the 1980s, some Harold Hill-like character must have spent a few weeks in St. Louis selling neither monorails nor musical instruments but rather The Bradford Pear Tree.
Although the state tree of Missouri is the dogwood, the unofficial "city tree" for St. Louis has to be the Bradford. They are all over the place. Everywhere.
Cherokee Street Antique Row, for example, has scores of these trees planted in the grassy area between the sidewalk and the street.What people didn't know when all these trees were planted, both at private residences and by the city in various parks, is that The Bradford Pear doesn't have a long life span. The tree is brittle, and they're prone to insects and disease, too, after branches break off.
Needless to say, the 80 mph winds that blew through St. Louis did quite a number on all these Bradford Pears. You can't travel a single block without seeing either a downed tree or at least a downed limb.
July 19, 2006: The Great Bradford Pear Massacre in St. Louis.
Oh, and for those who don't know: These trees don't bear fruit. There are no pears on a Bradford Pear Tree.
Worst. Tree. Ever.
1 comment:
there's trouble in this river city
Post a Comment