Cottonwoods: Homes Along the Prairie River

Cottonwoods: Homes Along the Prairie River. Wyoming’s Wildlife. , Take a good look at those big old trees down along the river. You know, the ones with the big limbs and huge trunks. Those old cottonwoods are special trees. They have grown tall with their roots spreading as grand as their limbs. Their roots reach down to the water level and help hold the river bank soil, keeping it from washing away during heavy spring flows. Grass grows tall and lush where the cottonwoods hold the soil. Along these grassy river banks, wildlife flourishes., A variety of birds nest and raise their young in the mighty old cottonwoods. Bald eagles nest in the strongest branches above the riffles where fish spawn. Old, dead limbs, where wood is soft, becomes home to woodpeckers, like the northern flicker. Other birds like finches and wrens live in the abandoned woodpecker holes. Other birds nest in the willows and buffaloberry bushes that grow beneath the cottonwoods. Look closely and you might see a yellow-billed cuckoo, brown thrasher, robin or several mourning doves. A Merriam’s turkey may make its nest on the forest floor. In all, more than 150 species of birds nest in the healthy cottonwood forest – from the forest floor all the way up to the top of the trees. The variety of bird species occurs because of the lush growth and variety of plants present in this forest., Birds are not the only critters which make their home in the cottonwood forest. Fox squirrel, white-tail deer, opossum, raccoon, beaver and mink also live here. The old cottonwood forests, where they stand tall and strong, are important parts of a formula, making “Wyoming’s Wildlife – Worth the Watching.”