One of my fonder experiences as a child came with the first warming days of spring. Prior to cultivated side ditches, mowed fence rows and the liberal use of herbicides, wild asparagus proliferated in the side ditches along the county roads and was free for the picking.

The sporadic patches took root from the birds feeding on the seeds in nearby gardens. Once sprouted, the hearty plant would mature and seed and produce more plants in a growing cluster. I remember loading up in the old family station wagon armed with paper grocery bags and a paring knife.

Once we were out of town, the hunt would begin. Mom would slowly idle the old Ford down the road at a snail’s pace while my sister and I rolled down the windows and scanned the ditches for the dark green spears of emerging asparagus. When one of us spied our prized quarry, we would holler.

Mom stopped the old Ford and we scrambled to cut off the stalks. A couple weeks later, when the stalks were more mature, we stopped using the paring knife and opted to simply bend the stalk to snap the top off. When the tops are picked like this, it guarantees a soft, chewable spear when the asparagus hits the plate.

On a good run, we might fill two large paper grocery bags with the succulent stalks. What a haul!

Usually the spears were boiled in salted water when prepared for the table. Truth be known, as a boy I greatly appreciated the hunt more than eating the asparagus.

A few years ago, I spotted a lone patch of the velvety-looking mature plants along a county road near home. I made a mental note to come back the following spring to see if I could pick a few of the spears. The next year, I was disappointed to find even the last patch had disappeared under the onslaught of a tractor-mounted mower.

My wife and I have a favorite recipe for our garden asparagus: we wash and dry the stalks, lay them on a cookie sheet, drizzle the stalks with a little virgin olive oil and sprinkle them with sea salt. About 15 minutes or so in the oven at 350 degrees produces an amazing side dish for any meal.

However, I can’t help but wonder how wild asparagus would taste if fixed this way.

Invasive ornamental pear trees

They look pretty and have been lovingly planted across suburbia and manicured yards for years; however, the landscaper’s popular tree is taking on an ugly look across the state.

Ornamental pear trees, most commonly known as Bradford pears, have been a popular landscaping tree in Indiana for decades – so popular, they now are crowding out native Indiana trees. For that reason, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources (DNR) encourages homeowners and landscapers to avoid planting such trees and to replace them when possible.

“Over time different varieties of pear have cross-pollinated in our urban areas, allowing them to rapidly spread into our natural resources,” said Megan Abraham, director of the DNR Division of Entomology & Plant Pathology.

Cultivated forms of the invasive species are most accurately known as Pyrus calleryana or Callery pear tree. Commonly available ornamental pear cultivars, all of which are invasive and should be avoided, include Bradford, New Bradford, Cleveland select, autumn blaze, Aristocrat, capitol, Chanticleer and dozens more.

In addition to being invasive, the cultivars, which are known for their striking white flowers, typically don’t last long. They are structurally weaker and more easily damaged by storms than native trees.

Carrie Tauscher, urban forestry coordinator with the DNR Division of Forestry, said evidence of the trees’ rapid spread is easy to see: “Just take a look for glossy-leaved, egg-shaped trees in highway interchanges. It’s common to find them in unmown areas under utility lines and in lots and fields initially cleared for construction that are then left fallow.”

Stopping the spread of the invasive plant means selecting alternative trees for yards and forested property. The best tree to replace any invasive tree species is one that is native to a particular region.

If you are looking for an alternative flowering tree for Indiana, serviceberry trees, which have similar white blooms in the spring and fruits that attract wildlife, are one option. Eastern redbuds, which grow quickly with eye-catching lavender flowers in the spring, are another option.

To learn more about native trees that are great for landscaping, visit the Indiana Native Plant and Wildflower Society page at www.inpaws.org/landscaping

Biologists study genetics of muskie

Like many Hoosiers interested in their genetic ancestry, DNR fisheries biologists and Purdue University researchers are looking into the genetic makeup of a species of fish in northern Indiana’s Lake Webster. The results could have a bearing on how muskies, a popular sport fish, might affect the future of the DNR’s stocking program.

“We take eggs from adult muskies captured at Lake Webster in Kosciusko County each spring, fertilize and hatch them and then grow the fry up to 10-inch fingerlings for stocking lakes throughout the state,” said Randy Lang, DNR hatchery supervisor. “Without healthy brood stock, the entire muskie program could be in jeopardy.

“That health depends in large part on the genetic makeup of Webster’s muskies.”

As a result of several recent changes in DNR egg-taking operations, fewer muskie eggs are now needed to supply the hatcheries. While it decreases the workload for crews who collect the eggs, it also increases the chances of inbreeding. By using an appropriate matchup of spawning fish, biologists hope to ensure a good genetic mix.

“Knowing more about the genetic condition of Webster’s muskies will help us maintain long-term hatchery success,” Lang said.

Webster Lake’s muskie population was initially established in the 1980s from multiple sources throughout the Midwest, including Wisconsin and all other states between Iowa and Pennsylvania. “That’s a real hodge-podge of ancestry,” he said.

Since then, muskies stocked into Lake Webster come from parent fish collected in the lake, which poses additional questions.

“Do we now have a unique population well-suited to Lake Webster, but whose offspring may be less suitable for other lakes?” Lang said. “Or do we have a muskie population in Webster with a very narrow range of diversity that might eventually collapse?”

To examine the genetic diversity, a small section of fin has been clipped from each captured muskie and sent to Mark Christie at Purdue. He has studied a variety of genetic issues related to wild and hatchery-produced fish populations.

“We’re fortunate to have the tools of modern science and the knowledge of fish genetics right here in Indiana to help us make good decisions for Lake Webster muskies and help guide our program,” Lang said.

The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author and not necessarily those of Farm World. Readers with questions or comments may contact Jack Spaulding by email at jackspaulding@hughes.net or by writing to him in care of this publication.