Nuisance Species?

What do Osage orange trees and white-tail deer have in common?

Doe and fawn on LREC firebreakOsage orange tree

They are both nuisance species—native plants and animals that can cause problems. According to the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC), the Osage orange tree “can become a nuisance in prairies and savannas. It also invades forest communities, usually as a result of past disturbance, such as grazing.” Lots of deer can “damage crops and ornamental plantings and increase the potential for deer-vehicle collisions.”

In fact, nuisance deer in the city of Ladue were recently managed by a hunt.

You can read about other nuisance species on the MDC website: