(WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- Depending on the location, residents of the Chicago area may experiencing the sensation of being in a snow storm as the cottonwood trees perform their spring ritual.
The fuzzies have been flying for several days as the cottonwood trees shed their seeds.
Julie Janoski is the Manager of the Plant Clinic at the Morton Arboretum.
"People call them everything- cotton, fluff...a lot of terms for them that we're all talking about the same thing. The seeds of the cottonwood tree," she said.
"So these trees are reproducing. They've already flowered and this is actually a seed dispersal mechanisms."
The fluff can clog pool filters and air conditioners.
Cottonwoods are native to the region and are very fast-growing, so the wood is somewhat weak, Janoski says, making them susceptible to storm damage.
That's not great for residential areas, because they can grow upwards of 100 feet tall.
Janoski said the trees do well around rivers, streams and lowland areas where there’s a lot of moisture.
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