On the shore of Lake Ogallala, July 8, 2010, late afternoon.
Cottonwood
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On the shore of Lake Ogallala, July 8, 2010, late afternoon.
Previous post: The trip is over, but I’m not done sharing
Next post: Boots on a fence
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Why is this called a cottonwood tree? Does it get cottony stuff on it, do you know? I suppose I could just google it…
When the seed pods open up, they have a cotton like material inside, with the actual seed connected to that. When the “cotton” is dry, a breeze can loosen it and then it will drift on the wind. That’s how this tree species spreads.
Cottonwood tree leaves also have a very nice rustling sound when there is a gentle breeze, especially nice in the morning hours when you are just waking up with the windows open.
This is an absolutely gorgeous tree! With the exception of the whistle or hum of the wind in cedar and spruce trees, I never considered the sound of wind in the trees to be unique to a certain species of tree. Is this rustling sound different than other trees? Either way, it would be a nice way to wake up. Those are the types of mornings where I could lay in bed for hours; probably fall back asleep for a while.
Davina,
I think it is different from other trees. The leaves are a bit of a different texture, tougher than many leaves. A trick my grandfather taught me was use the leaves of the tree as a kind of kazoo. We’d fold the leaves in half without creasing at the fold and, using a finger and thumb of each hand, holding the outer edge pinched at the top and at the bottom, then blow through the opening at the top. Most tree leaves aren’t tough enough to do that. Though I haven’t tried that many, at least not in a long, long time, the only other leaves that work well are those of lilac bushes.
When I think about the rustling of cottonwood trees, I remember most my grandfather’s family’s cabin, which is only about 15 or so miles from this tree. It had several cottonwood trees and that’s where I remember waking up to the rustling of the leaves. Good to wake up to — good to sleep to.
But then, I feel the same about the sounds of trains. (I grew up in a railroad town where the sounds of trains were the background sounds of life.)
“When I think about the rustling of cottonwood trees, I remember most my grandfather’s family’s cabin…” That would be a great opening line to a short story or a novel. We had lilac bushes on the farm but that is something I never tried; never considered it actually. We did make blades of grass whistle though. I feel exactly the same way you do about the sound of trains.
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