Native flower trees planted at Hwy. 60-67 cloverleaf

Following last summer’s removal of the invasive Callery (Bradford) pear trees in the U.S. Highways 60 and 67 cloverleaf area at the north edge of Poplar Bluff, volunteers coordinated by the Missouri Department of Conservation have completed replacement plantings of native flowering trees on the sites.

Several members of the Poplar Bluff Garden Club and Master Gardeners organization assisted MDC’s local forestry crew in planting 29 specimens of flowering dogwood, downy serviceberry and eastern redbud. The trees were provided by local MDC Resource Forester Mark Pelton from sources within his agency and by the Poplar Bluff City Tree Advisory Board from the Project CommuniTree St. Louis nursery. The nursery is a program of the not-for-profit Forest ReLeaf of Missouri, which offers free trees for planting on public property throughout the state.

MDC workers, individual volunteers and employees and heavy equipment from other government agencies participated in three work days last summer to remove a huge number of pears trees. The pears, thought desirable 20 years ago when planted as part of the massive cloverleaf beautification project, had begun producing fertile seed and were crowding out the crape myrtle bushes, which were intended to be the focus of the scenic improvement.

MDC currently is urging the removal of all Callery pears in Missouri landscaping for replacement with native flowering trees.

The next phase of the ongoing cloverleaf project will involve thinning of the crape myrtle plants to enhance blooming through better sun exposure. The plants that will be removed with heavy equipment will be replanted on other highway right-of-way sites elsewhere in Butler County. That process is expected to take several years.

Assisting in the planting of native flowering trees at the Highways 60-67 cloverleaf, from left, were Matt Adams and Jonathan Vallance, MDC forest resource assistants; Ellen Eddleman of the Poplar Bluff Garden Club; William Cato of MDC; Freda Wilkerson, garden club; Jane Hansmann, garden club and master gardener; Sharon Beck (front) garden club and master gardener; Bruce Beck (rear) master gardener; Jim Dunne, master gardener; Diana Jones, master gardener, and Darlene Potter, master gardener. Photo provided by Mark Pelton