Sunday, May 24, 2020

Exploring Bellingham: Cottonwood Trees


Tall bare Cottonwood trees in late winter.
This spring I've had the chance to follow the development of plants from their winter bare to their spring bloom. It's been a nice diversion during our isolated life.

Behind our Bellingham condo there are a variety of trees. The largest is the Cottonwood. In fact, the neighbourhood is full of them.

Cottonwoods are a type of poplar, with the same quivering leaves. They grow in moist areas, so the wetlands behind us is a prime spot.

Female catkins on high branches.
Our variety in the Pacific Northwest is the Black Cottonwood.

Male and female flowers are in separate catkins (long, slim clusters) that appear before the leaves each spring.

The female catkin produces the cottony seeds that are blown long distances. It's these fluffy white masses that give the tree its name.


Day one of the seed "explosion."
For weeks now the large green leaves and catkins have been maturing.  A unique fact is that Cottonwood trees are dioecious. This means the male and female flowers develop on separate trees. Growing in large groves increases the chance of fertilization.

Sorry, my closeups aren't the best. I left my camera in the RV in Arizona. We'd planned to return by late March, but that never happened. All I have now is my iPhone's camera.


A grove of Cottonwood trees in an undeveloped area near the Bellis Fair Mall.

For a week now in Bellingham, there have been puffy white seeds floating everywhere from the Cottonwood trees. Here's a short video showing how they fly through the air creating a plant version of a snow storm.




A tall Cottonwood on our walking route.
The seeds are very small (1X4 mm) which is remarkable considering they can grow into one of the largest trees in North America, up to 100 feet (30+ metres) high.

Not only are Cottonwoods large, but fast growing, reaching maturity in 10-30 years. Young trees can add an amazing six feet per year.

Historically, their trunks were used by Native Americans to make dugout canoes. As a commercial product, their course wood is best suited for making pulpwood in the paper industry, pallets and shipping crates.

As summer changes to fall, the leaves turn bright yellow and orange, making a warm contrast to the cooling blue skies.

Here's a look at my Cottonwood trees through the seasons.

Cottonwood trees through the seasons: winter, spring, summer and fall.

What kinds of trees are common where you live? -- Margy

48 comments :

  1. ...Cottonwoods are common here too. There are male and female trees, last year in early spring I cut down those that appeared to be females. That sure reduced our "spring snowstorm!"

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    1. When we watch the news we can tell if it is a story from the Pacific Northwest because of the fluff flying in the background. - Margy

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  2. I've never lived around them - attractive trees

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    1. They are beautiful, and grow quickly. The down side is all of the cottony seeds flying and sticking everywhere for about a month. Look above, Tom found an answer. - Margy

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  3. Margy - I believe that many large raptors, such as eagles and ospreys, rely on cottonwoods for nesting. Since the trees like water and grow so tall, they make for ideal nest sites. We do see large groves of them along rivers in Montana. Of course, Montana also features many species of pine, spruce, etc., and aspens! Thanks for linking to Mosaic Monday!

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    1. They do make a good tall perch for a hunting bird. There is only one next in our cluster of trees, but it looks too small for a bird as large as an eagle or osprey. - Margy

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  4. Love the collage with the Cottonwood trees in the four seasons. Have a nice time and stay safe!

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    1. That's the great thing about digital photographs, you can call upon them any time to add to a story. - Margy

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  5. beautiful nature shots. I loved to see the video. It is not that easy to catch :)

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    1. The flying fluff looks so evident to the eye, but the lens just doesn't do it justice. - Margy

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  6. Hello, beautiful trees and photos. I like the mosaic showing the tree in the different seasons. Enjoy your day, wishing you a happy new week!

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    1. Thanks. You would think they would be great trees for nests, but in the fall I can only see one in about a dozen trees behind our condo. - Margy

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  7. Hello Margy! I am so amazed by these cottonwood trees! They look very tall and towering. Thank you for sharing all four seasons of it!

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    1. I read that they can grow six feet in a year. - Margy

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  8. Locally we have a number of cottonwoods here and though I find them lovely I’m allergic to them. Just las week the air was full the their cotton! I just take my Zyrtec and all,is well. Have a wonderful day!!

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    1. I never used to have allergies, but as I get older I am more prone to discomfort like burning eyes. - Margy

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  9. What beautiful trees and you got some great pics with your phone! We have Live Oak trees and they do drop a few leaves. On some of the trails, the leaves are slippery...there are so many small oval dry leaves. Have a good week!

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    1. When I lived in California there were lots of big old oak trees to enjoy. Here it's the large maple leaves that fall on roads and trails that make them slippery. - Margy

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  10. You are familiar with my neck of the woods so you know that evergreen trees are all around. Some of these are quite tall and grow as much as 300 feet. I like the video … the floating seeds remind me of snowflakes. :)

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    1. That's one thing I love about the land around our cabin. We do have a few maples and dogwoods that lose their leaves, but they make for a beautiful fall. - Margy

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  11. You captured some great skies along with the trees.

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    1. Thanks. With these bug guys it's hard not to get a bit of sky, a good addition for Skywatch. - Margy

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  12. Thanks for that very interesting post Margy. Your cottonwoods certainly have remarkable growing capabilities. It's a tree we don't have in the UK. I think so but someone may correct me.

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    1. Your climate is a bit different from ours I think, even though the latitude is similar. - Margy

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  13. An interesting post. I like the cottonwoods in all seasons photo.

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    1. Good thing I had the pictures in my digital albums. - Margy

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  14. Beautiful collage with the 4 seasons of the cottonwood trees.
    Dawn aka Spatulas On Parade

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    1. I think they are beautiful in all seasons. - Margy

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  15. There are two trees that dominate our area...Live oak & palm trees. Live oak is a species compared to other oak trees (they are evergreen). Beautiful photos with your cellphone. Our pecan tree has catkins (didn't know it was a girl tree tho)

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    1. When I would visit my grandparents in California's central valley I think the oaks in the hills were live oak. And when we lived in Los Angeles there were plenty of palms. Now they are mostly in ornamental gardens. I love pecans! - Margy

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  16. Oh, there are also these trees of the genus Populus in Romania. They are grown in the plains like curtains against the wind, but there are also many in cities. In fluffy weather they are almost a calamity, you can't keep windows open unless they have nets.
    Thanks for sharing!
    Have a nice day, Margy!

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    1. I've seen cottonwoods and other poplar trees grown here as windbreaks. Maybe that why they have spread so easily to natural areas within the city. - Margy

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  17. The nature is so beautiful! And following the seasons we can learn a lot about beauty, share, silence, life!
    Thank you for the images!
    Happy WW and be well!

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    1. Thanks Suzana. I don't think I could ever live in a big city again without natural areas nearby. - Margy

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  18. I dit not know Cottonwood and I asked "google". The Name Cottonwood is "Pappelbaum" in german. Now I know ;-)
    Greetings
    Kirsi

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    1. That's one thing I love about reading blogs. I'm always looking at Google to translate something or find out more about a new thing. - Margy

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  19. I've seen these trees and the flying fluff although pretty to see they may not be kind to allergy sufferers. Maple leaf trees are very common where I live. Thank you for sharing your photos and onfo about the cottonwood trees. #MCoW

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    1. Right now my eyes are suffering from pollen. I never used to have allergies, but as I get older they seem to have developed to a small degree. Back home in British Columbia we have lots of maples on the hills in front of our cabin. I love the golden colour in the fall. - Margy

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  20. Somehow I like looking at the cottonwood trees when they're bare, and look at that rainbow! Makes your heart skip for joy.

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    1. They are beautiful in all seasons. The nice thing about late spring through early fall is the leaves block the view of city buildings and streets to the east. - Margy

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  21. They are gorgeous and majestic to see! We have lots of pine trees, as they grow 7 times faster here than in the north!

    Your link is a great addition to 'My Corner of the World' this week!

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    1. That fast! We have a few pines in Powell River in the higher elevations, but down along the lake it is mostly cedar, fir and hemlocks. - Margy

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  22. The pictures are great. I think the iphone camera works just great. I use one too for all the photos on my blog. :)

    Thanks for sharing these wonderful line up of trees, on #WordlessWednesday, Margy. :)

    https://natashamusing.com/2020/05/garden-love-thursdaytreelove/

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    1. Mine works best on distance shots. The closeups often turn out blurry. - Margy

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  23. The photos of the cottonwood tree through season is wonderful! Not to forget the first one taken in winter.

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    1. We have a view of nearby Mt. Baker in the winter through the trees. Right now we have to go out to Bakerview Road in front of our condo to get a view. - Margy

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Thanks for stopping by. Comments, questions, and suggestions are always welcome. - Margy