Wanted: Callery Pear and Amur Corktree

By Alan Branhagen, Executive Director, Natural Land Institute Two ornamental trees have been added to the Illinois Noxious Weed List: Callery Pear (Pyrus calleryana) and Amur Corktree (Phellodendron amurense).  I’ll admit, I specified planting Callery Pears way back...

What Is the Big Deal About Invasive Plants?

By Alan Branhagen Note: The 2025 National Invasive Species Awareness Week is Feb. 24-28. Read about it here. The term “invasive plants” refers to those plants that are not native to a particular region AND that also spread by whatever means in a manner that inhibits...

What NLI Does About Invasive Species

It’s National Invasive Species Awareness Week Natural Land Institute’s land stewardship staff spend much of their time, along with volutneers and sometimes contractors, removing invasive species in woodlands, prairies and wetlands. Zach Grycan, Director of...

First Saturday Stewardship Day at Keefer Nature Reserve

This community service opportunity benefits nature and humans! Join NLI staff and other volunteers on the first Saturday of the month now through March to remove non-native brush like honeysuckle and buckthorn, carry cut brush to the burn pile, monitor the burn pile,...

Get rid of Callery Pear

Callery Pear. “Remove it if you have it” says our new Ex. Dir., Alan Branhagen. He also said you will save a lot of time and money in the future if you just remove it now. This tree has been widely used in landscaping and has now become very invasive in southern and...