Watch: 'Snowing' cottonwood trees create allergy nightmare in Michigan
Although cotton can be a nuisance, it has no allergenic properties, according to Colorado State University Extension. People with allergy symptoms during June cotton distribution probably suffer from other wind-borne pollen.
Shedding cottonwood trees leads to 'snow flurries' in East Grand Rapids, Michigan
Cotton shed by female cottonwood trees was so abundant in East Grand Rapids, Michigan, that it turned nearby lawns white from what looked like snow flurries.
EAST GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – It was a May blizzard for one Michigan city as nature unleashed another kind of fluffy white stuff.
Take one look at Amanda Schultz's East Grand Rapids backyard and your eyes are sure to begin to water as the cottonwood trees begin their annual shedding process.
"It’s a mess," she exclaimed as cotton turned her once-green yard into a white blanket. "This is the worst it’s been since we’ve lived here."
Schultz said there are four cottonwood trees in total between her property and the neighbors'.
"So it’s been a lot of mess this week," she told FOX Weather on Wednesday. "Guessing the lack of rain has contributed to it being so bad but will defer that to the meteorologist."
SEASONAL ALLERGIES LINKED TO MOOD DISORDERS LIKE ANXIETY, DEPRESSION, SUGGESTS STUDY
One look at Amanda Schultz's East Grand Rapids backyard and your eyes are sure to begin to water as the cottonwood trees begin their annual shedding process.
(Amanda Schultz)
Well, this Michigander is half right. Sorry about the mess, but that's due to heavy snow in the winter that promotes plentiful new growth, according to Colorado State University Extension.
"This, in turn, fuels abundant flowering of both male ("cotton-less") and female ("cotton-bearing") cottonwoods in the spring," the extension office reports. "Flowers on female trees, after being pollinated by wind-borne pollen from male trees in April, develop small green capsules that split open in June to shed small seeds carried by wind-borne ‘cotton.’"
The National Weather Service in Grand Rapids reports the area saw 110.7 inches of snowfall this past winter. It ranked as the city's third-snowiest winter on record. In an average year, 77.6 inches of snow will fall.
CSU Extension also said some municipalities have ordinances against female cottonwood trees, as the wind-blown cotton is deemed a nuisance.
"Although cotton can be a nuisance, it has no allergenic properties," the extension office said. "People with allergy symptoms during June cotton distribution are probably suffering from other wind-borne pollen – from grasses, weeds or other trees."