Fremont cottonwood

POPULUS FREMONTII

In a single day, one Fremont cottonwood drinks more water than a huge saguaro cactus would need for several lifetimes. Stark evidence of this thirst can be found in small desert creeks that flow only at night after the trees have gone to sleep. During the summer, cottonwoods release blizzards of seeds that must find water or perish. Carried on small white tufts, these seeds drift into flooding creeks that push them onto moist sandbars. Here they germinate almost immediately and race to send down long roots before the surface sand dries out. Few among millions survive, but successful seedlings grow a remarkable 15 feet a year and pleasantly shade the banks of many streams in dry regions of the West.

NATURAL HISTORY

Cottonwoods provide homes or food for hundreds of animals, making them the most important habitat in the dry landscape. Insects and caterpillars swarm in the succulent flowers and foliage, attracting small birds like orioles and warblers. Hawks and owls nest on the strong shaded branches, while a host of other birds, mammals and bees use cavities that form in the stout trunks.

KEY CHARACTERISTICS

Tall, spreading trees found along streams in dry lowland areas, with shiny heart-shaped leaves.