These lovely leaves are sprinkled throughout my morning walks towards the mountains. Just one of the many sweet ways Nature can delight. 💛✨
This leaf is from the Cottonwood tree. This tree is sacred to many Native American cultures, particularly here in the Southwest. Cottonwood bark and leaves were used as medicine for pain relief by many different tribes - the buds and bark contain a compound called salicin which breaks down into salicylic acid (which is the compound used to make aspirin).
Looking at tree symbolism according to Laural Waters - "Cottonwood signals a time of hope, healing and transformation. Cottonwood is asking us to reconnect with the ancient wisdom teachings based in Nature and to remember that we all belong to each other.
To move forward we must have hope in the future and embrace our community as we dream a new world into being."
Thank you Cottonwood for this timely reminder. 🙏🌿💚