Black cottonwood trees are telling you something

Another source of fall color is black cottonwood, one of our tallest native trees. Black cottonwood trees grow in moist or saturated soils. Beavers use black cottonwood as food and as a building material in their lodges and dams. It works out well that these trees grow quickly, and that new trees can sprout from stumps or from the shallow, spreading roots. Look for black cottonwood at Meadowbrook Pond or Thornton Creek Park #6 (near NE 105th and 8th Ave. NE), two places in Seattle where beavers currently make their home.

Creek Peek for Kids

Hey kids, beavers like to build their homes near black cottonwood trees. But how about you? Would you like to build your home near black cottonwood? These water-loving trees gives you a hint that the ground might be damp, and that the area may even flood sometimes. It might be hard to keep your basement dry and your house free of mildew. So what do you think? Would you build near black cottonwood or look for drier ground?