king of catkins

we are nearing the end of catkin season with the king of catkins–the cottonwood. very soon the individual pistils on these flowers will explode and release clouds of white fluff carrying tiny seeds on the wind. the cottony fluff will cover our lawns and pile into drifts along the edges of sidewalks like the snow we have just recovered from. but in our northern hearts, we know that cottonwood fluff does not mean the return of winter, but the beginning of summer.

spring cottonwood catkins and leaf