Question of the Week 04/13/2019

Q: What is the worm looking things coming out of my aspens buds?

A: They are catkins, which is the flower of the aspen tree. The male flower (which releases the pollen) is shorter and has a fuzzy caterpillar look to it. The female flower (which produces seeds after being pollinated) is longer, green, and has what looks like cotton coming out of it.

The seeds have a cotton tail to them to allow them to be scattered by the wind. The picture on the left is a male catkin after it has started releasing pollen. The picture on the right is a female catkin releasing seeds.

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