127 Eastern Cottonwood

Populus deltoides or Eastern Cottonwood has earned its nickname "Giant of the Prairie" honestly.  It is found in grasslands and foothills all across the  midwest.  You can even find it spilling over into eastern forests and rocky mountain foothills.  It is a true Poplar unlike the more commonly seen Yellow Poplar and closer to something like its close cousin Aspen (Populus tremuloides).

The Cottonwood has triangular shaped leaves with a flat stem that like the Aspen quake in the wind and make a lovely sound.  It is found in riparian areas and grows quite fast and large with many examples over 200 feet tall and 5' diameter trunks.

The wood is creamy with some yellow like Yellow Poplar but Cottonwood is more more and open field tree and will branch quickly and therefore have more knots and swirly grain than the forest tree Yellow Poplar.

The deep lustre found in Cottonwood really surprised me and how easy it was to work with hand tools.  Much easier than power tools actually!