Whether a
green plumage of life in the summer or a convoluted tangle of limbs in the
winter, the Cottonwood Tree represents a special and vital part of the
Yellowstone Valley ecosystem. They can
always be found near water, playing a fundamental role in the health of
riparian zones (areas of intense diversity that are only found near
water). Walking among them, one feels
the life that emanates from the great towers, from the great Bald Eagles and
Ospreys that sit upon an upturned branch looking across the river for dinner,
down to the small insects like the cotton borer that crawl within the tree,
eating their way along the bark and leaving behind intricate lines similar to
those of a lost civilization.
Their great limbs provide a bird haven, for the foliage is so thick that
often all you can do is listen to their calls and hope to catch a quick glimpse
of a feather as they flit amongst the branches.
As you listen, you will also hear the constant chatter of a squirrel as
it scrambles around, looking for food and constructing their homes that from
below look like a lump of leaves resting amongst the branches. Even in death, the Cottonwood is a constant
provider, giving flickers and downy woodpeckers a place to live and scrounge
for bugs. Walking further into the
grove, you might find an old burnt spot where the foliage below has been burned
away, but the Cottonwood still stands strongly, its thick bark protecting it
from all but the most intense of flames.
Suddenly and unexpectedly you find yourself at the river’s edge,
appearing to mingle amongst the Cottonwoods as if it too were one of the
giants. The river, a constant and
powerful force that is always looking to expand its borders and delve deep into
the inland, is held at bay as the Cottonwood’s great roots stand strong against
the great current. It is these roots
that act as guardians of the riparian zone, refusing to be swept away by the
whims of the water, and it is these roots that trap the water underground to
keep it and the plants around it sustained in times of drought. However, no force is truly impenetrable, and
eventually the rivers wash away the great Cottonwoods, sending them downstream
to complete yet another great service.
As a great Cottonwood floats down the river, looking like a great battering
ram 5 feet in diameter easily over 100 feet tall ready to crush even the
mightiest of castles, it eventually hits a point in the river and jams itself
in. Over time, more and more trees
become part of the great dam in the river and slowly but surely they cut down
the speed of the river, thus creating a resting point for fish and a brand new
riparian zone. When the water is slowed
by these great dams, it pools behind them into great wetlands, which act as a
natural purifier for the water. As it
comes to a standstill, the water slowly percolates through the soil and gathers
in underground aquifers, ready to be utilized by stretching roots of a plant or
to bubble out of a spring, cleaner and fresher than any water treatment plant
can make it. The wetlands created by the
dammed Cottonwoods are also ripe territory for new Cottonwoods to grow and
start the whole process over again, all it that is required is seeds, and
Cottonwoods have plenty. Have you ever seen
the snow fall in the summer, thick and fluffy?
Well, either you were in Montana, you were actually seeing “cotton”
seeds from a Cottonwood tree or both.
For the entire month of June every female Cottonwood tree produces
thousands of seeds encased within a fluffy cotton-like substance that is
carried by the wind far and wide covering entire landscapes with a layer of
“snow”.
Working your way back from the water’s edge and back in the direction you
hope is the one you came in, you can feel the history of the Cottonwoods, whose
lifespans reach over 100 years. You can
imagine Lewis and Clark making their great trek across the unknown, floating
down the river in great canoes made from the ancestors of the trees towering
above you. The Cottonwood Tree is a
giver, providing life for many. But it
gives more than just a place to perch, more than just a dam in a river. It is a giver of happiness, of lessons, of
good times to be had, of legacy. The
next time you take a walk in the woods, look up to these Giving Trees, ask
yourself, “what to do they give me?”.
More importantly, ask yourself “what do I give them”.
By Jeremy Brooks
High School Naturalist in Training
Summer 2013
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