Fall Foliage: Eastern Cottonwood (Populus deltoides)

In cultivated settings some trees require more work than others. A tree might be known for dropping too many large leaves, twigs, or messy fruits, or a tree might require regular pruning for proper cultivation. The eastern cottonwood (Populus deltoides) is one of those 'messy' trees that require extra maintenance. These are fast growing trees that produce a lot of leaves, and when they drop, cottonwood leaves blanket the ground. In the photo above, the cottonwood is pictured to the left of center: it has a straight trunk that casts a long straight shadow.

Eastern cottonwood pictured on November 23, 2019

Lawn maintenance under an eastern cottonwood is doubly difficult: the thick bed of leaves obscures large surface roots that make it impossible to simply mulch the leaves with a lawn mower. You can find photographic evidence of those impressive roots here.