A Friends Story, the Fremont Cottonwood (Populous Fremontii)
My friend (Montessa) stands in the riparian corridor along the banks of the West Walker River. She stands in a grove surrounded by family members and offspring of various ages. The birthdate or germination date, as it is described for plants, coincides with the years when the river flows overtopped the banks. She consists of three separate trunks that emerged from a single root system. Surviving through droughts that were severely stressful and floods that washed away soils in which some of my roots had formed. Her foliage has provided shade on hot summer days and nest platforms for Blue Herons, Redtail Hawks, Magpies, and some species of songbirds. A beaver has found my bark quite tasty, but gave up thankfully. I really didn't appreciate him try to cut me down. The trees that line the banks help stabilize floodplain soils. They share the riparian area with other plant species, that includes native grass, sage, buffalo berry, wild rose, and wild golden cur...