The early-blooming white flowers popping up around the City of Oaks aren’t necessarily something to celebrate. If those blooms are on a Bradford pear tree, they’re more of a warning sign than an indicator of spring.

The situation is so serious that there’s a bounty offered on these quick-to-spread killers. So many North Carolinians responded that registration is full, but don’t worry — you can still thwart the invasion.

A Bradford pear tree in Fred Fletcher Park | Photo by RALtoday

Bradford pear trees, a variety of Callery pear native to Asia, were introduced to the US in the early 20th century for their ornamental, symmetrical beauty. But don’t let their looks fool you — these trees are structurally weak and are quick to shed branches during heavy wind and rain.

Recognizable for their white flowers and strong, distinctive stench, these beautiful-but-deadly trees cross-pollinate with other pear trees, producing invasive offspring that threaten the lives of native trees + create food deserts for birds. The invasive trees have white flowers and huge, inch-long thorns capable of puncturing tires (good luck mowing your lawn).

To stop the trees from further harming our local ecosystems, it's best to cut them down (make sure they’re on your property). If you’re not sure whether or not you’re housing a killer, check out NC Bradford Tree Bounty’s tips for help identifying them.

Pretty, stinky, and deadly to native trees | Photo by RALtoday

In the meantime, here are four native trees that are much better for your backyard than you know what:

Dogwoods. The flowering dogwood is NC’s official state flower.
Black cherry. This impressive tree can grow up to 80 feet tall.
Live oak. We live in the City of Oaks, after all.
Pawpaw. Who needs pears when you could experiment with the biggest edible fruit in the South.

In case you missed it: Nominate your favorite tree (please, not a Bradford pear tree) for Raleigh’s Tree of the Year award. Nominations are accepted through Mon., March 28 at 5 p.m. + voting begins the following day.