Poplars: an annoying reminder of the soviet union

When Spring finally graced Tartu with its presence, there was a remarkable amount of cotton-like seeds floating about. I initially thought they were the seeds of dandelions and was astonished by their all-pervasive clouds. Fluffy piles accumulated on the windshields of dormant cars, lined street curbs, and obscured large areas of the ground from view. I would just lay in the grass listening to music for hours, dazed by the dance of the swirling seeds above me - a window into the curious ways in which air currents move. I found them alluring, unaware of their history, as well as their serious damage to those with allergies and asthma.

It turns out that they are poplar (or cottonwood) seeds, and Estonians, like those in other post-soviet countries who experienced this vegetative invasion, hate them. Stalin chose poplar trees as the most efficient way to add a little nature to the monotonous soviet living spaces, because they are cheap, resilient, and they grow and reproduce quickly. Typical (pun intended). Unfortunately mostly female poplars were planted, which spread their seeds like crazy when there aren't enough males around. Just like the stain of the dull soviet buildings that stand in contrast to the old Estonian wooden houses, poplar trees are everywhere as a loud reminder of the unpleasant past, spreading their suffocating snow throughout the month of June.

This is Moscow, not Tartu, but many areas in Tartu were covered just the same (I never had my camera during my naively dreamy expeditions through the summer "snow"). Picture from: http://www.theexpeditioner.com/2011/04/21/sexual-frustration-and-why-it-snows-in-june-in-moscow/

Where I live - typical 5 story soviet apartment building - complete with a poplar tree in front.

 Estonian wooden house.

 More wooden houses, which are abundant in Supilinn (soup-town), a lovely neighborhood of Tartu.

Speaking of Supilinn, its street names are ingredients of soup such as Herne (pea), Oa (bean), Kartuli (potato), and Meloni (melon..though that one doesn't really fit, unless some kind of melon soup exists). I also think it's interesting how, throughout town, the street names are listed on the sides of buildings instead of posts. It took me awhile to realize this as I first tried to get around.

Completely unrelated to everything above, this slug is screwed. The bird is probably screwed too if he tries to eat such a thing.