Tennessee Inventors Association

02/23/2026

02/23/2026

02/23/2026

That “pretty white spring tree” a lot of neighborhoods planted for decades? Missouri just drew a line in the sand.

Missouri’s governor Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 105 on July 14, 2025, making it illegal to sell several of the state’s most destructive invasive plants — including the notorious Callery pear (aka Bradford pear).

Why this matters: Callery pear isn’t just a messy ornamental that smells weird and splits in storms. It escapes into woods, roadsides, and pastures, forms dense thorny thickets, and crowds out native plants that wildlife actually needs. It’s one of those “looks harmless in a yard” plants that turns into a real ecological problem once birds spread the seeds.

And Missouri didn’t stop at pears. The bill targets six invasive plants total:

sericea lespedeza

burning bush (‘Compactus’)

Callery pear

Japanese honeysuckle

perilla mint

wintercreeper (Coloratus)

The law’s implementation date is August 28, 2025, with phase-out windows for sellers to clear existing inventory (so it doesn’t flip overnight for every nursery).

I wish more states would do this. Because invasive plants are one of the few environmental problems we can actually prevent at the checkout counter. If we stop selling the worst offenders, we stop planting tomorrow’s invasions on purpose.

If you’re in Missouri (or nearby), this is the perfect moment to swap that Bradford pear for something that gives you spring bloom without the damage.

02/23/2026

HUMMINGBIRD LOVERS GET READY! The great hummingbird migration has just started...with several sightings already along the Gulf Coast. You'll start to see even more into March across the Southeast and will continue to spread north through May. Get those hummingbird feeders out!

02/23/2026

The 2026 What's The Big Idea? Pitch Competition is happening at Scruffy City Hall on Sunday, March 22nd! Save the date so you can join us for the live finale. Hear all of the pitches and see who the judges award $10,000!

https://knoxec.com/what-we-do/programs/wtbi/

03/09/2023

The next Tennessee Inventors Association meeting is Saturday, March 18, 2023, at 11 am. We will meet at Hibachi Grill, 9645 Kingston Pike, Knoxville 37922.