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The Chicago Region Trees Initiative (chicagorti.org) provided information for identifying buckthorn, an invasive species that overwhelms native plants and trees in Lake County and the metro area:

*Grows 25 feet tall

*Forms thickets

*Bears glossy-green leaves, persisting into winter

*Produces blue berries, persisting into winter

*Twigs tipped with short thorns

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*Scraped bark reveals yellow sapwood

Native replacements for buckthorn recommended by the Chicago Region Trees Initiative and Ringers Landscaping include:

*Redbud

*Viburnum

*Serviceberry

*Crab apple

*Dogwood

*Witch hazel

*American hornbeam

*American plum

*Washington hawthorn

*Elderberry

Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.