NATURE OBSERVATIONS

The black locusts are flowering now, one of the most
fragrant blossoms around. I don't think they're native
to our area but they were widely planted by plantation
owners in the 18th and 19th centuries. That fact leaves
us flower sniffers with a problem, namely that these
trees are all mature & so the blossoms are largely above
the height of human reach. Frustrating. Perhaps a lad-
der should become part of the toolkit of the dedicated
blossom inhaler.


Yesterday it was raining cotton around here. Not the
kind that is planted but the seeds of the cottonwood
tree. I have a special affinity with the cottonwood be-
cause i grew up with two of them in our yard and be-
cause they are widely distributed thruout the semi-
desert West. Their roots grow deeply in the ground
in search of water and sometimes they'll be the only
tree around. It's also the state tree of Kansas, the
place i'm from.

But perhaps the most notable aspect of the cottonwood
(along with aspens) is the sound they make in the wind.
Their leaves are positioned in a different way from most
trees, configured so they beat gently against each other.
Listen to that sound the next time you encounter a cot-
ton wood on a breezy day.