This Michigan Tree Will Stop Snowing Soon—Here’s When

Just when you thought spring in Michigan was all tulip blooms and iced coffees, the cottonwood tree makes a grand entrance—blanketing everything from your car to your entire backyard in fluffy white fuzz.

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This cottony chaos is courtesy of the eastern cottonwood, or as fancy scientists refer to it, Populus deltoides. It's a tree that absolutely thrives in Michigan's climate, especially around rivers and floodplains.

These trees tower sky-high, too, growing to 70 to 100 feet tall, releasing seeds that make your backyard look like winter with flip-flops, and wreaking havoc on allergies and nasal passages across Michigan.

The Davey Tree Expert Company says Michigan's cottonwoods start shedding their seeds in late April or early May and don't stop through June, sometimes lingering into early July if there was a colder spring.

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Can it be stopped? Kind of. A professional arborist (fancy-word for 'tree guru') can apply some concoction that will slow down and limit the amount of seeds it produces, but it's not a long-term solution.

But Are Michigan's Cottonwoods Good For Anything?

Actually, yes. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources reports their fast-growing wood is used in the production of pallets, crates, and pulp. The wildlife love them too, deer like the twigs, birds make a home in their branches, and beavers eat their saplings like takeout.

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All that said, and as someone without a cottonwood allergy, it's cool when it "snows" in June or July in Michigan, or in Michigan City, Indiana (see below).

So, while your driveway may look like it needs a lint roller, and your loud sneezes keep scaring the dog, the cottonwood isn't all bad; it's just a bit—dramatic.