SOUTH BEND â The state took a major step in 2019 when it banned the sale, transport, swapping, gifting or introduction of 44 invasive plants. A similar move was brewing in South Bend at the same time, but the group behind it, the cityâs Ecological Advocacy Committee, noticed that 47 species were left off of the state list. Among the skipped-over plants was the Bradford pear tree, whose profuse white blossoms now line busy streets by churches, businesses and even newly built city projects. Their young offspring, easily planted by birds who pluck the berries, often cluster themselves in nearby fields, an early bloomer that outcompetes native plants.