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The end of winter brings a revitalizing burst of green to upper Westchester, but also a lament for allergy sufferers. Nowhere is the evidence of a late spring bloom more evident than in the fluffy cotton snowfall of the eastern cotton wood tree.
The seeds of the cotton wood tree, wrapped in a silky vestment of cotton, appear similar to dandelion seeds, but are actually the fruit of the eastern female cotton wood tree according to local arborist Mark Sofranko, part owner of Conserve-A-Tree Inc. of Croton.
The little seeds, says Sofranko, float around to the tune of millions. The seeds can be a nuisance for outdoor workers, since the cotton sticks to faces, wet outdoor paint and piles up along walkways. They also cover local curbs, grass, and willfully float into open windows.
The trees can grow to be 100 feet tall, and live between 60 and 100 years, according to Sofranko. A member of the willow family, the populous deltoides is not recommended for a yard tree, since its soft branches can easily break. Cotton wood trees grow near soft, wet land.
How do you cope with you allergies?
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