What’s With the White Fluff Floating Around Grand Rapids This Week?

If you’ve been walking the dog, driving with the windows down, or just trying to enjoy a June afternoon in Grand Rapids, you’ve probably noticed those little white fluff balls floating through the air, looking like it’s snowing in summer.

No, it’s not a sign of strange weather. It’s just cottonwood season here in West Michigan.

Around this time of year, female cottonwood trees release their seeds, which are attached to silky white fibers that catch the wind and help them spread. And this year? We’re getting a TON of them.

Experts say this could be what’s called a “mast year”, when trees produce unusually high amounts of seeds, possibly due to a warm spring and dry weather. That means more fluff in the air than usual, and it’s all perfectly natural.

So if you see some strange fuzz on your plants like I did, you're not growing a weird mold.

However, they can be annoying, especially when they pile up on sidewalks, patios, or car windshields. They’ll be floating around for another couple of weeks before tapering off. I saw huge piles of them accumulated on the side of the sidewalk this week at Millennium Park:

The good news? Those fluffy clouds of seeds aren’t allergenic themselves, even if they look like the kind of thing that would make your eyes water.

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So, next time you’re caught in a flurry of summer snow, know it’s Michigan’s cottonwood trees doing their thing. Don’t worry, it’s harmless (just a little messy).