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I've talked about the sticky resin that exudes from the buds and in the last post "Cottonwoods Bursting Green" you could see the sheen on the leaves which is the resin from the plant. That resin which is now widespread on all the newly emerged leaves is very aromatic. I don't know what kind of smell to liken it to, but it's a pleasant pervasive smell and because it is so 'everywhere' right now on a daily basis you might miss it. When you really pick it up is if you have been away for a day or two and you fly or drive back into the valley. You will reach a point when you descend "The Hill" if you are driving or when you step out of the plane and it's the first thing you notice, it's very noticeable and very pleasant. The mornings when the air is still and you step out of your house is the next best time to smell them. I'm sure wherever there are cottonwood stands people notice and enjoy this smell, but because we live in 'trench' and the air moves along the valley in a fairly narrow corridor, it's almost like the smell is concentrated in the Bella Coola Valley.
The most intense period of small lasts several weeks as the volatile oils in the resin being produced by the leaves are evaporating. Nothing like the smell of the cottonwoods in the spring. Grizzly
Brilliant blog, I hadn't noticed www.bellacoolablog.com before in my searches!
ReplyDeleteContinue the excellent work!
Wow neat! This is a really great site! I am wondering if anyone else has come across something
ReplyDeletelike this in the past? Keep up the great work!
It's wonderful to know that someone out there loves this smell as much as me. I wrote about cottonwoods last spring on my blog and a friend sent me a link to you. You can find my take on the smell of cottonwoods here: http://annettehansen.net/2011/05/10/nymphea/
ReplyDeleteI've just fallen in love with Cottonwoods - I never quite knew what the intoxicating spring smell was until this year. The scent of it in the Cowichan Valley is overwhelming!
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