The tree is called white poplar (populus alba), but in Bulgarian, it is known as бяла топола (by-ala top-ola). The leaves on the tree are very small and teardrop shaped. The edges of the leaves are pointy, which kind of surprised me. There was so much detail!
The white poplar trees can grow up to 50 feet tall and have very strong roots. It makes sense why all of the sidewalks that these trees are near are bumpy! The tree does not produce fruit to eat, but the fruit it does have is quite strange. The fruit is a brown seed pod that is around four to five centimeters long and has little hairs on it.
At first, I was not too happy because I was still trying to find the guilty bird. But once I started looking at the tree, I was impressed and curious. I had never seen a tree like this before! I started inspecting it and took pictures of its cool qualities. The bark was my favorite part. I wanted to know what kind of tree it was, so when I got home, I looked it up online and found that it was a white poplar.
White poplars are commonly found in Southern Europe and Central Asia. Bulgaria is in Southeastern Europe and is close to Central Asia, so it makes sense that they are found here. The tree grows best in warmer regions with a lot of sun and also where there is a lot of water. Bulgaria is a great climate for white poplars!
I have seen many white poplars spread throughout my town, but most of the ones I have seen have been close to the Danube River. When I traveled to a town in central Bulgaria, called Panagurishte, I was surprised to find a few there too!
