This is the time of year that we enjoy lingering at the top of
the Hibbard’s Creek valley near our home and drinking in the
brilliant yellows of the trembling aspens that do so well in the
creek bottom. We look at their beautiful late fall show as the
quiet subtle "afterglow" following the more vibrant
mid-October colors of the maples.
Here and there we also come upon a stretch of woods perhaps a
half mile long where the sugar maples for some strange reason
hang onto their leaves considerably longer than others. Their
leaf color is usually more into the yellows. Perhaps this late
leaf-drop is genetic and that, checking on the trees’ DNA, one
might find that they are all quite closely related.
Charlotte and I were in Oshkosh recently and, even though we
hadn’t anticipated coming upon a gigantic tree, growing within
100 yards of Lake Winnebago, that "needed" measuring,
we nevertheless photographed it from all angles and estimated its
circumference. Using my arm span as a guide I came up with an
approximately 17-foot girth at breast height.
Even though this tree is nowhere near state-record size, its
magnificent towering shape, standing there all by itself,
reminded us of a huge imposing fountain. Judging by the number
of other considerably smaller eastern cottonwoods growing nearby,
my guess is that their close proximity to the lake, plus the fact
that they are growing very near lake level provides them with
both rich soil and plenty of moisture.
One of the most splendid views of hundreds of cottonwoods at
their golden peak of color occurred in late October several years
ago in California. We had left the eastern reaches of Yosemite
National Park and were headed south overlooking the Owens Valley,
on our way to Bishop where we stayed for several days. The
cottonwood trees grew plentifully in the valley as well as
considerably up along the lower eastern flanks of the Sierra
Nevada Mountains.
Add a rich clear blue sky to the scene and, highlighted by the
shimmering yellow cottonwoods, you have a broadly sweeping
panorama of blue and yellow that good Swedes would love to see.
Fortunately there were several wide pull-offs along the rather
steep descent on the south edge of the Owens Valley where one
could park, photograph and drink in the splendor of the scene.
Examine a leaf of an eastern cottonwood tree and you will
easily sense why it was given the species name of deltoides
(del-TOY-dees). Its large beautiful leaves are triangular or
delta-shaped. The tree belongs in the Populus genus along
with the trembling aspen, large-toothed aspen and balsam poplar.
Charlotte and I prefer to take quieter backroads on many of
our shorter trips of a day or less. As usual we have our
Wisconsin Atlas and Gazetteer with us and more than once it has
been along out-of-the-way lesser-traveled roads where we’ve had
some of our best tree finds. One of those truly magnificent
eastern cottonwoods, growing in the open along Highway K west of
the Brussels Hill in southern Door County, has rated high on our
list of all-time favorites.
The current state champion eastern cottonwood grows in Green
County on the bank of the Fox River about 2.5 miles from the
"White River Locks. It is close to 360 inches in
circumference measured at 4 ½ feet above the ground. This
imposing giant grows to the height of around 110 feet and has an
average crown-spread of nearly 100 feet.
Even without having seen this prized specimen I’m going to
predict that it has some smaller trunks branching outward several
feet above the ground, but at least above the required distance
to be considered a single trunk, and that’s all that counts.
Unfortunately the roots of cottonwoods have a tendency to seek
water, including in sewer pipes, which is why so many cities in
the U.S. ban the planting of these trees today. Their roots are
described as being adventitious and have a nearly magical way of
locating water that is so important to the huge mass of trunk,
limbs and foliage of one of these tall giants.
Big trees are inspiring and exciting to know, but of far
greater importance are those people who have permanent, ongoing
concern for their land and trees and who exert great energy in
managing them wisely. Because of their reverence toward the
earth, future generations may also thrill to be able to hug some
record-size eastern cottonwoods.
Roy Lukes stands next to the huge trunk
of the Oshkosh cottonwood tree at the Lukes home.
The towering cottonwood stands high along a street near Lake Winnebago.
This column appeared in the Door County Advocate
on 11/08/2003.
© Copyright 2003 Roy Lukes. All rights reserved.
