Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday where we join our pals at The Adventures of the LLB Gang. Clicking on the link will take you to see what others have shared this week. This week’s post is mostly about one topic-cottonwood trees. Ok…let’s get started.

Wilson: ‘Morning mates, here I am sitting nicely in front of one of the wildlife habitat area’s huts created along the Ralston Creek Trail where we walk. They provide habitat for the area critters on both sides of the path. Along the path and creek are gobs of cottonwood trees and lately they have been very active as the leaves emerged.

The Mum: It’s been as if it’s snowing as jillions of cottonwood seeds are floating all over. I realize it’s a bit hard to see them but all those teeny little white specks are cottonwood tree seeds.

Wilson: They float on the breeze. I had to chuckle when they flew up your nose a couple of times. But you’re right, Mum. They are EVERYWHERE and stick to wherever they land.

The Mum: I’m constantly pulling them off the few potted plants in our yard and some of the window screens.They especially seem to like sticking to the hairy stems on the potted tomato plant. They are a nuisance and potentially damaging when they stick to air conditioning units. Removing those seed heads will be part of this weekend’s chores around this barn of a house.

Wilson: What else can you tell us about cottonwood trees?

The Mum: They are one of the more popular tree species in the world and often grow to more than a hundred feet tall. They provide loads of shade along our creek bed. Cottonwood trees are dioecious, meaning the trees grow male and female flower parts on separate trees with the male flowers appearing first and the female buds emerging about a month later. The male plants produce pollen, while the female plants produce the seeds or fruit. Cottonwood trees are rapidly growing trees, growing as much as 6 feet a year and are hardy in Zones 2 through 9.

Wilson: We weren’t 100% positive if the fluffy seeds would follow the male catkins which began to emerge in April, but expected they probably would. We didn’t have many of them in our old neighborhood so Mum didn’t keep any photos of them when they started to drop and fall on our pathway last month but found the following image online. Leaves emerge from those catkins and then the seeds begin to form from separate trees about a month later.

The Mum: With our breezy conditions most days and the recent snow and rain, a lot of branches and twigs came down. Cottonwoods tend to have soft wood and breakage is a constant threat. The pathway was littered with the evidence that indeed we were going to have lots of floating seeds. Notice how they start out as little necklace-like strings of the seed pods that eventually release millions of white, cottony seeds into the air. Cottonwood trees are a member of the poplar family similar to Colorado’s quaking aspens, but unlike aspens, cottonwoods do not clone themselves from a single root system. They can readily re-sprout though if broken or cut down from the cotton seeds after they emerge. Cottonwoods thrive at lower altitudes (3,500 to 6,500 feet), on the Eastern Plains and along riverbanks. The male trees grow reddish-purple flowers.

Wilson:  Are there any advantages to these trees?

The Mum: Well, their fast growth and wonderful shade are reasons enough to like them but they have other positives. According to the Colorado State Forest Service, they reduce erosion, capture and filter sediment, provide wildlife habitat, slow flood water runoff and increase water infiltration. The leaves have flat stems, which make them shimmer and rustle in the wind making them eye-catching and distinctively attractive. The tree offers strong fall color, with leaves fading to glowing shades of gold. The National Forest Service often use them to stabilize stream banks and they may act as a natural waterway filtration system to reduce sedimentation. They colonize and form groves that can act as natural windbreaks though as I’ve experienced, the leaves and twigs are constantly falling all year long. I thought after I moved from the old neighborhood with all of its silver maples, I could leave that behind me. Instead, I’m constantly picking up little twigs and gobs of leaves that fall in the wind. Sigh

Wilson: Well I don’t mind the cotton snowing on us-it’s pretty and when it begins to heat up next week, maybe we can imagine cooler temps with that ‘snow.’

The Mum:  With those warmer temps slated for next week, I’ll try to envision snow. In the meantime, I guess we’ll just need to endure all the cotton floating in the area and stacking up along the pathway.

Wilson:   Anyway, let’s share a couple of images of something other than the cottonwood seeds. We found this hydrangea getting ready to bloom. Look at the beautiful pink color that’s beginning to emerge. And finding a Blanket flower along our walk through the wildlife habitat area was a nice find. It’s like Mother Nature was moving ‘furniture’ around.

The Mum: That’s a good way to describe how Nature decorates sometimes. I saw a few other spots where blanket flowers were beginning to pop up and whenever I see a flower showing up like that, it makes me smile.

 

Wilson: Thanks, Mum. Well that’s it from us. We hope you have a terrific weekend. Hard to believe this is the last Friday of May and June is on the horizon. Where has this year gone? 

Hello mates…top of the morning to you and welcome to another segment of Nature Friday where we join Rosy and Sunny from the Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly blog hop. Don’t forget to click on their link to see what others have shared. Although it looks like I’m a somewhat sleepy, but I’m actually hiding from Mum. But I’ll wake up enough to share the plateful of delish slices of nature so let’s get started, shall we?

It’s been a lovely week and we’ve enjoyed a slower pace this week to catch up with things around the ‘Barn.’ I’ve got some diverse photos showing some of the nature we encountered for your pleasure, so let’s get started, shall we?

Our exposure to some of the beautiful springtime things we were able to experience began last weekend when we celebrated Mum’s great granddaughter’s 2nd birthday. How in the dog did that happen? Two years of laughter and joy with that little munchkin {happy sigh}. We went to her house to watch her play on her slide, and pop bubbles all over the backyard while BBQing. It was a lovely day. While watching her have a blast, we notice their snowball Viburnum bush was in full bloom. Oh my heavens, what an absolutely divine scent. It added a lovely accent to all the birthday festivities.

The Mum: That shrub was so heavenly that I’ve put it on my list of plants to possibly add to the new landscape. So intense, sweet, and spicy, it’s often described as a mix of vanilla, cloves, and baby powder…a perfect scent for an outdoor birthday party for an adorably little girl who loves being outdoors.

Wilson: Don’t get too excited, Mum. Viburnum tends to favor moist soil so it might be difficult to get one established with our water restrictions.

The Mum: Good point, but I’m still leaving it on my list of plants to consider. Maybe not now but eventually, presuming the forecasted El Niño is full of moisture. Just think how lovely the air would be with a bed of these colorful babies surrounding it.

Wilson: That Hyacinth sure is colorful and like the Viburnum, possesses quite a fragrant addition to the garden. We’ll plant that hyacinth once it’s finished blooming but in the meantime, it provides a nice pop of color on the back patio along with lovely perfumed air.

The Mum: With the temps moderating to what we normally would expect in springtime, we took the opportunity to get in an extra walk yesterday afternoon. The clouds had built up and we had a tiny smattering of raindrops but mostly it was just cloudy. Our forecast has a tiny chance of rain in it but we suspect it will only cloud up and not actually provide any relief. Still, we’re enjoying the uppers 60’sF (20C) over last month’s 90F (32C) any day of the week.

Wilson: While the canal is way down in water levels, you can imagine how mind blowing it was to see this Blue Heron standing in a shallow puddle. Mum couldn’t believe her eyes! She frightened the poor bird with her squeal but we walked farther down the canal and luckily found him again. Mum was really bummed she wasn’t carrying her big camera with her as she’s lately begun to carry it to better capture the wildlife along the trail we walk. This photo was from her cell phone. It’s not great but better than a sharp stick in the eye and it made her happy to see that cool bird.

The Mum: It was so exciting to come across that fella. I’m glad we decided to walk along the canal banks rather than take our usual route on the Ralston Creek Trail. The unpaved path along the canal recently had some serious tree trimming and has allowed us to see some of the exposed undergrowth. Check out this Golden Currant bush that was exposed and in bloom, so it was a terrific and scenic walk.

Wilson: The new smells were so fascinating for my sniffer and I was quite happy to slowly take in all those amazing scents.

The Mum: It was a very fun walk for both of us. When we returned home, I noticed you were happy to watch an episode of PBS’s “Nature – Baby Steps | Becoming Elephant.” It never ceases to amaze me how much you closely watch animals on TV and when this episode  featuring the Retiti Elephant Sanctuary came on featuring a young calf named Long’uro  who had part of his nose removed due to a hyena attack. His disability will impact his life forever in ways that were quite striking. You were riveted throughout the episode (you can see it below) until the fundraising pitch came on and then you lost your focus. But as soon as the animals returned, there you were watching intensely. I half expected you to pledge online.

Wilson: {excited animation} Mum it was so cool listening to the sounds that elephant made. I couldn’t take my eyes off him. What a great episode. I do hope you support PBS…we will have to watch that program more often!

The Mum: Yes, House Pony, I’m a support of public broadcasting but will make an extra donation so we can guarantee seeing programs like that in the future. It’s fun to watch you take in programs with animals that capture your interest and I smiled the whole time you watched it. It was hilarious that you repeatedly lost interest during the fundraising breaks but resumed watching in earnest when they went back to broadcasting the episode. You know you’re too funny, right?

Wilson: Mum, I’m simply a naturalist at heart. Well that’s it from us. We hope you have a wonderful weekend and are able to find some amazing sights that Nature shares with us. Have a great weekend!

Live, love, bark! 🐾