Cottonwood Populus deltoides
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/184479570
Populus deltoides are some of the most popular trees that you see in Alaska. I happened upon this one while walking in Campbell Creek Green Belt. This was around 4:30. Anchorage today was a beautiful blue crisp day that was full of the smell of fall. The biggest way that I have interacted with the Cottonwood is in the summer when they go to seed and it looks like it's snowing in the middle of summer and it is quite beautiful. From my research they are excellent for birds and for moose and large mammals to munch on (Bottorf 1). Also when they are dead and begin the rotting process they expose cambium which allows for a multitude of fungi that eat it and add to the mycelium network.
Another use for the cambium is to make rope. The cambium is the live part of the tree and when the tree is close to rotting but not quite there you can take the stringy innards, twist, roll, then double back on them to create a rope. Here is a link to a video on making the bark into rope.
https://youtu.be/peIFl8XUsc8
I also found this poem on the Cottonwood and wanted to share it with you all as well.
“Close about my tiny shack the cottonwoods cluster,
Bringing lavender shadows and the soft flutter of bird wings.
They temper the blinding glare of the yellow desert.
They reassuringly take the hands of my spirit
When the vast emptiness threatens to overwhelm”
Rose Henderson
Works Cited
Joseph, Kirstynn. “Cottonwood Trees and Their Uses.” Stoneage Man, https://stoneageman.com/cottonwood-trees-and-their-uses/. Accessed 22 Sept. 2023.
Bottorf, Jim. “What Good Is a Cottonwood Tree? .” Wordpress, https://foreststewardshipnotes.wordpress.com/2012/11/26/what-good-is-a-cottonwood-tree/. Accessed 22 Sept. 2023.
Comentarios
Selah, I agree with you that the summer snowfall that Cottonwoods bring is quite beautiful. Unfortunately, also quite sneeze-inducing but worth it for sure. I grew up with a massive Cottonwood in my backyard. I mean, this thing was enormous! It had to be around 8 feet in diameter and as tall as the sky! It was by far the largest in town and towered over every other tree. After we moved out of that house, the new owners had the tree removed and every time I go by the house, it feels so empty. Cottonwood trees remind me of dinosaurs in their majestic qualities and stoic stature.
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