Snowfall in July

“…Sometimes the snow comes down in June
Sometimes the sun goes ’round the moon…”
— Vanessa Williams, “Save the Best for Last”

Where in the Northern Hemisphere, other than the mountains, does the snow come down in June — or July?

Here in cottonwood country.

Our summer white stuff isn’t the precipitation skiers love. It’s cottonwood seeds. They fall in great profusion, drifting along in the breeze, spreading little cottonwoods wherever they fall.

One of the lawns I mow has a beautiful, huge cottonwood tree. As a consequence, cotton is everywhere in that yard. And every time I mow, my nose runs and my eyes water. I must be allergic to that cotton.

In cottonwood’s defense, no tree produces better shade. I don’t understand why, but sitting under a cottonwood feels cooler than sitting under any other tree.

I would have loved to have planted a cottonwood in our backyard, but we didn’t have enough space for that large a tree. Tree can grow 50-100 feet tall with a trunk diameter of 2-5 feet. If we had planted one, we would have bought a cottonless tree.