The Cottonwood is flying today!

[Big V]

They should ban those trees!

 

[Jenn Lynn]

They have been flying all weekend here. Looked like it was snowing at times.

The town we lived in in Iowa had a ban on cottonwoods. You were not able to plant them any more.

 

[hockeymom7691]

They're flying here in PA too and my eyes are paying for it! Not to mention that I have been going into major sneezing attacks!

 

[Galahad]

Thick as snow in Indy too. It's usually done with this by now. I blame the cicadas.

 

[grinningghost]

It's awful for us hard contact lens wearers. If that stuff gets caught in your eye, it's absolute torture.

 

[Chattyaholic]

We stayed at a campground in Lansing once, called the Cottonwood Campground. Nice campground, but it was during the cottonwood "season" so it was always "snowing" and those things really stuck on the canvas of the pop-up camper we had then...what a pain!! We've never been back there.

 

[Eeyore1954]

Thank goodness for Allegra! Without it I'd be a sneezing fool. With it, I can almost manage to be near this stuff.

 

[Aimeedyan]

We attended an outdoor wedding reception Sat night that was surrounded by them... nothing like pulling Cottonwood out of your wine glass, LOL.

 

[Saffron]

I hate when that happens!

What is it?!

 

[KarenC]

We have an enormous Cottonwood tree in our backyard. Our village has a tree ordinance. We can't cut the lousy tree down unless we plant the equivalent diameter of trees. I figure it would cost us about $20,000 to replace the diameter of the stupid tree with new trees. It's not going to happen, as much as I hate the tree. I have more pressing things to spend money on, like college tuition. The worst thing is that last year we lost a beautiful stately elm to Dutch Elm Disease--why couldn't it have been the Cottonwood???

Anyway, it looks like Christmas in our backyard with all the cotton. My DH is hosing off the air conditioner right now.

 

[Galahad]

Originally posted by KarenC
We have an enormous Cottonwood tree in our backyard. Our village has a tree ordinance. We can't cut the lousy tree down unless we plant the equivalent diameter of trees. I figure it would cost us about $20,000 to replace the diameter of the stupid tree with new trees. It's not going to happen, as much as I hate the tree. I have more pressing things to spend money on, like college tuition. The worst thing is that last year we lost a beautiful stately elm to Dutch Elm Disease--why couldn't it have been the Cottonwood???

Anyway, it looks like Christmas in our backyard with all the cotton. My DH is hosing off the air conditioner right now.

You probably know this already, but be careful about the tops of those enormous cottonwoods. We have 4 really huge ones in our yard. About 2 months after we moved in a "limb" the size of a medium tree fell, missed the house but nearly hit me and one of our dogs. Had them all trimmed back and the tree service told us cottonwoods are among the worst for developing very large, but unstable limbs.

 

[KarenC]

Originally posted by Galahad
You probably know this already, but be careful about the tops of those enormous cottonwoods. We have 4 really huge ones in our yard. About 2 months after we moved in a "limb" the size of a medium tree fell, missed the house but nearly hit me and one of our dogs. Had them all trimmed back and the tree service told us cottonwoods are among the worst for developing very large, but unstable limbs.

Yes, if it weren't for the weak limbs, sticky yellow thingys in April and the cotton flying in June, the cottonwood would be a really nice tree!

We had the big leader branch removed a couple of years ago. The tree is close enough to our house (and our neighbor's house) that it would do some real damage if it fell. I'm so happy that and your dog weren't hurt!

 

[dianeschlicht]

Yep, they cause me all kinds of trouble too! Thank goodness they are short lived trees!

 

[Galahad]

Thank goodness they are short lived trees!

Wow, how short? Ours are close to 3 feet in diameter at the base so I assumed they were pretty old. We have to get permission from the HOA to take out any tree over 8 inches in diameter so most people just keep getting the tops lopped of.

 

[KarenC]

Cottonwood trees are very fast growing and have an average lifespan of 70 years. A 120 year old Cottonwood is a very old tree.

 

[mt2]

Sorry about the allergies. I completely understand.


Happy Thoughts to all,

mt2