There is a tree that is well-adapted to life on the prairie, however. You can recognize it from afar during the growing season by the shiny leaves that shimmer and shake in the wind. The pioneers were always glad to spot one of these trees in the distance, since it offered the possibility of wood and shade. It also represented the chance of finding water, since this species likes to keep its feet wet, so to speak. That species is the cottonwood tree. Cottonwoods can live to be over 100 years old. There are cottonwoods on the Great Plains today that were living when the great herds of bison still roamed the prairie.
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LINKS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonwood http://www.gpnc.org/cottonwood.htm http://www.desertusa.com/mag01/jan/papr/cwood.html http://www.cirrusimage.com/tree_cottonwood.htm
There is a tree that is well-adapted to life on the prairie, however. You can recognize it from afar during the growing season by the shiny leaves that shimmer and shake in the wind. The pioneers were always glad to spot one of these trees in the distance, since it offered the possibility of wood and shade. It also represented the chance of finding water, since this species likes to keep its feet wet, so to speak. That species is the cottonwood tree. Cottonwoods can live to be over 100 years old. There are cottonwoods on the Great Plains today that were living when the great herds of bison still roamed the prairie.
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LINKS
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cottonwood
http://www.gpnc.org/cottonwood.htm
http://www.desertusa.com/mag01/jan/papr/cwood.html
http://www.cirrusimage.com/tree_cottonwood.htm