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Alabama Cotton Fields During Fall

The Best Cotton Comes From Alabama Cotton Fields

Yesterday I drove past this cotton field. This time of year in Alabama, I can’t leave the house without driving past giant fields of white, fluffy cotton. It’s everywhere. Big fields. Little fields. By gas stations. Between houses.

Alabama Cotton Fields
Alabama Cotton Field Picture
Alabama Cotton Field Picture

Alabama Cotton Field Photo

When the sun is high, and the fields are vast, the cotton in the distance just glitters, as if it were a mirage. It’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.

Alabama Cotton Field Photo

This is Alabama snow.

Cotton Fields In Alabama During Fall

Pretty soon it will all be picked clean. It’s almost time to harvest.

Cotton Plants In Alabama During Fall

It’s always a little sad to see the stripped bare, naked cotton fields.

Cotton Plant Picture

But it’ll be back next year, just as white, fluffy and beautiful.

Picture Of Alabama Cotton Plants

Yesterday, I drove past this beautiful cotton field, and I had to jump out and snap a few photos before it’s gone for another year.

Cotton Plant Photo

So soft. Just like big, fluffy cotton balls.

Alabama Cotton Picture

I always want to reach out and grab it.

Alabama Cotton Field Plant

This one exploded.

Alabama Cotton Fields

Happy Fall, ya’ll. Love, Alabama.

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108 Responses
  1. Nyla boothe

    Hi I’m looking for a cotton field for my engagement pictures! I’m trying to find somewhere near Shelby county if possible! If you have any suggestions or places please let me know! Thank you so much in advance!

  2. Jessica Bouzo

    Hello Kevin and Amanda, 

    Totally love your cotton field photos. i am looking to do an engagement photo shoot in a cotton field. My fiance and I recently moved to the Florida Pan Handle and are not familiar with the area. Would you advise us where could we find a nice cotton field in alabama this time of the year please? 

    Best Regards,

    1. Amanda

      Hi Jessica! These were taken near Huntsville, Alabama. Unfortunately the cotton fields change every year. I will email you and tell you exactly where these were taken. It will at least be a place to start! Good luck!

  3. Doris Perez

    Cotton fields are the most beautiful sight in the world. Thank you for sharing. I’m a senior, a new author, from California, and I’m asking permission to use one of your cotton field photos to show in a book I’m writing. It will be part of a story that takes place in Alabama. I really need one of your photos. Thanks. Please reply.

    Doris Perez

  4. Jackie Kitchens

    I am 71 years old and I’m putting together pictures of how times were when I was growing up in Fayette Alabama for my grand children. I lived out in the county, not in town as we called it back then. My grandfather raised cotton and I wanted some pictures of what the cotton fields looked like. I was really happy to find these and thanks for sharing them with people like me and others.

  5. Chelsea

    My fiance and I are hoping to take some of our engagement pictures in a cotton field soon, and those are just beautiful! Can you please tell me where these pictures were taken? We’d love to look into it. Thanks so much!

  6. Elizabeth

    Oh, Amanda! You have made my day with these pictures.
    My Dad and I went on road trips all the time when I was a kid and he always stopped at cotton fields to show them to me. These are very fond memories I hold deep in my heart. Isn’t it funny the little things we remember and cherish from childhood? Beautiful Photos, thank you for sharing!

  7. Kristen

    Amanda,

    These pictures are gorgeous! Being from Noo Yawk, I’ve never seen cottton fields before! Love the Alabama snow!

    Thanks for sharing them!
    Kristen Hayes

  8. Cathy Davis

    I’m in Alabama too! (I found your site through pinterest.)

    We don’t have a lot cotton fields in Birmingham. I enjoyed seeing your pictures. Reminded me of when I was younger and we drove up north to visit family. Bunches of cotton up that way.

  9. Kristin@DesignNSuch

    Beautiful!! I know I sound like everyone else but, I’ve never seen cotton fields before. Your pictures make me wanna reach out and touch the cotton!!

  10. Heather

    I love your pictures–they make me miss Alabama so much! I can’t wait until we live there again in a few years and are able to enjoy Alabama in the fall!

  11. Tra Wright Knox

    Oh, wow! I have never seen anything like this! Beautiful! Living in England of course we don’t have cotton fields – thanks for sharing! Will try to not take my cotton wool for granted! :D

  12. Sylvia92

    Absolutely gorgeous pictures ! It’s really incredible. I’m just passing by and I discover these. Really fascinating ! Thanks for sharing such beautiful shots ! Hello from France !

  13. Kara

    Beautiful!! I was just in the Athens area a couple of weeks ago and meant to get some pictures, but I ended up being rushed and forgot all about it! We have cotton here in NC, but the fields down there just go forever and the way the afternoon sun hits them just makes it beautiful!

    (I was in bama for my besties big 3-0 and I took her to the Dismal Canyon for the day after I had read your blog post on it last year. It was amazing and well worth demanding she not go until I was down!)

  14. Cindy

    Thanks so much for sharing! For those of us who have never seen cotton growing in the fields, it is fascinating to see what it really looks like :)

  15. Amanda Bumgarner

    Fantastic pictures! I can’t even imagine the sight… I’ve only ever seen corn and/or wheat fields. The little balls of cotton are really cool!

  16. Arlene Grimm

    When I see the cotton fields in the fall, I think of the Bible Verse, the fields are white unto harvest…..One of the beautiful things about an Autumn in the South!

  17. Crystal

    I LOOVE this post! We cannot live too far from each other! This looks like every little road around my little rural Alabama community! Isn’t it just wonderful! I really do take these beautiful fields for granted, so I am so happy to see this post. It reminds me of how fortunate we are to live in such a beautiful state! (I live near J’ville/Gadsden, btw:)) Have a wonderful day!!!
    Crystal
    Homemaker in Heels

  18. Kristina Vanni

    Breathtaking! I have never seen a cotton field before. How impressive! My sister’s boyfriend is from Mississippi, do they have beautiful fields like this over there as well?

  19. Alissa

    Thanks for sharing, I’ve never seen a cotton field! I suppose it’s something you take for granted the same way those of us from Wisconsin don’t even notice the cows grazing in the fields. :-)

  20. Jeanette

    I wish I lived near a field of cotton – so naturally plentiful and beautiful – thanks for capturing this view through your gorgeous photography.

  21. Shannon Stamp

    Thanks for posting these lovely pictures. I have never been to Alabama and I never saw what cotton fields looked like. Learned something new everyday. So pretty. Thanks for sharing.

  22. Robin D

    Amanda, I am so glad you stopped and took these pictures. I have never seen cotton plants let alone when they have gone to seed (?) What a crazy plant. It sure was fun to see them.
    Thanks for sharing,

  23. Kaye Hermann

    I loved those pictures and I love your blog. I would never get to see the world without you. You make my life happier guys!

  24. Kris Boydstun

    Very cool pictures! I didn’t realize how white it really is on the plant. I’ve seen it in movies, but never up close like this! Just amazing! Thanks for sharing, Amanda!

  25. Wenderly

    That is just so lovely! Isn’t nature amazing? I mean really. Beautiful, fluffy white cotton balls growing on a stick. Just amazing.

  26. Carrie

    This is so interesting to me! Growing up in the North East and now living in Northern California, I’ve never seen cotton growing! I’ve always been so curious. Thank you for posting this.

  27. Deb

    Cotton plants fascinate me. It really is a miracle that there is a plant that grows something such as this which we can use to make soft clothing. Beautiful pictures. Love your blog – have a great night.

  28. Trudy

    Beautiful Alabama snow! Wow! Thanks for stopping to take these gorgeous pictures. I love how differently beautiful each state is, and how the seasons are different everywhere, and how we all must learn to enjoy and treasure our own homestates’ seasonal gifts. Thanks so very much for these wonderful photos.

  29. Lisa

    Thanks for the pictures. I’ve never seen cotton fields before! I wanted to reach out to the photos and touch them! Thanks for sharing. :)

  30. Maria

    Oh how I miss the south! Used to live in Memphis many, many moons ago. The white stuff in these parts (eastern PA) is of the cold and wet variety, and this year it came much, much to early and broke my pretty dogwood tree that was drenched in fall color =( Oh well. Thanks for sharing your photos are beautiful!

  31. Dalia

    I love it! We have tons of these in Southern AL. There’s a field by our house & I just love the fluff. It is sad when they are bare. Beautiful photos.

  32. Angela H.

    Such a nice post. I have lived in central NC my entire life. We have cotton fields and they are very pretty, but those gorgeous foothills in the distance covered in fall foliage combined with those MASSIVE fields of “Alabama snow” is just breathtaking. Thanks for having such a sweet and true spirit, and not being afraid to share it.

  33. Shirley

    I loved these pictures, Amanda!
    I live in Utah where we have real snow, and I’ve never seen anything like this. How amazing!
    Shirley

  34. Manda

    I grew up in Alabama and have recently moved back with my family after having have lived in VA for over a decade. We were driving to Prattville from Montgomery a couple of weeks ago. As you leave the city there are huge fields of white on the interstate. My five year old, who had never seen it said “Look Mommy, Snow!”.

  35. Sabrina

    I’m from Southeast Missouri where cotton is king! This is what I remember the falls there looking like, absolutely beautiful. I live in Tennessee now and have colorful foliage here in the fall and some tobacco fields, and the occasional cotton fields, but nothing like back “home.”

  36. Becky

    That is so beautiful! I’ve been reading your blog for quite a while, love your recipes, pictures, fonts . . . I’ve never been to the south, never seen anything like this. Thank you for sharing. :)

  37. KellyRae

    I love your analogy of Alabama snow! I live in a rural area of central Arizona and we too are having our cotton season. Every few miles the ginning operations are going 24/7 and the bales are lining up in between the cotton rows.

  38. Marilyn

    I always have to stop too to take pictures when the bolls are huge and fluffy. I love our “Mississippi Snow” and don’t think I will ever get tired of seeing the beautiful fields in the fall. Now the defoliant that they spray it…I could live without that. :) Beautiful pictures! And also the trees are so gorgeous too, it reminds me of fruity pebbles. :)

  39. Marianne

    Thank you so much for posting the beautiful pics. I live in the midwest and have been trying to get south for years. Just love it. It made me smile.

  40. Chere

    Oh Amada I ditto that thought. When we drive to our place in No. Fl. the cotton fields are beautiful. Two weeks ago I had to stop and snap a few pics. Yes, it is the South’s snow. It always makes me think of all the people that pick it by hand. The husk are so sharp. My Grandfather talked about his Mother picking cotton and her hands would bleed. Thank Goodness for Eli Whitney and his cotton gin. This is a very special treat for us lucky few to see. Thanks for sharing with the rest of the world.

  41. Nesha

    Thank you for sharing. How lucky are you to witness first hand the beauty of fresh cotton. I work with vintage chenille and am amazed how many forms cotton can become.
    Nesha
    Facebook: Nesha’s Vintage Niche

  42. Trish

    Absolutely amazing!!! I have seen plenty of snow in my lifetime of Upstate New York winters, and I would GLADLY trade it for yours :-)
    Thank You so very much for sharing!

  43. Beth

    Thanks for sharing! I was just looking at the pictures before beginning my work day here in Chicago and those photos reminded me of the famous Alabama song, High Cotton! “We were walkin in High Cotton, Old Times there are not forgotten, those fertile fields are never far away.” Which is one of my favorite songs! Thanks for putting a smile on my face today! This time of year is so beautiful!

  44. Lori @ RecipeGirl

    Leave it to you to find beauty on the side of the road. I love that you called it “Alabama Snow!” Looks just like it!!

  45. Lori Allberry

    Oh my goodness gracious Amanda, these photos are GORGEOUS! I almost felt like I was there! It was like I could reach out and grab them!!!

    Thank You for sharing!! ♥

    Lori

  46. Amanda Dawn

    Alabama snow…without the cold! I think I like that–being from Northern Maine and all. : ) Our Harvest has already passed, fields of potatoes dug, trees mostly bare, car windshields iced over with thick frost most mornings…already had a layering of real snow (which thankfully melted the same day)! I’ve been down south once, a few years back, but didn’t get the chacne to see a cotton field. Seeing a cotton field is going on my bucket list. May seem silly, but the idea of a field of white snow without the cold is worth experiencing at least once!

  47. Brekke

    Love your pictures. My husband and I just moved to the Huntsville area from Florida. I gasped the first time I saw a field of cotton. I have absolutely loved driving by the cotton fields everyday!

  48. Julie @ juliechiou [dot] com

    wow, that is so cool!! i’ve never seen cotton like that before. thanks for sharing, i hope i get to see this someday!

  49. Angie @ Bigbearswife

    I love cotton fields. When we lived in NC there was a huge one up the road from us and it was always so so pretty when the cotton was almost ready to be harvested!

  50. Debbie in S. Florida

    Hi, Amanda.

    What beautiful pictures, and it’s so funny you posted this right now. I literally just finished reading John Grisham’s book, “A Painted House”, which features cotton picking as a big part of the plot. Great book, by the way, though it takes place in Arkansas, not Alabama, but it was so neat to see your pictures! I had a picture in my mind of what cotton fields looked like, but the real thing is much prettier! Thanks for more beautiful photos. I always smile at your posts, whether they’re gorgeous landscapes yummy, mouthwatering desserts, or fun things like candles and other good things that make me want to run out and buy them! I live vicariously through you!

  51. Jodi

    I would love to see this some day. Your photos make you want to reach out and pick the cotton. We farm here in Southern Ohio mostly grains like wheat, soybeans, corn and spelts, but we are always amazed what kind of crops other farmers raise. Your photos are gorgous and gives us all a little lesson on where things come from. Thanks for sharing.

    Jodi

  52. Jennifer

    So glad to see that a southern gal feels the same way I do!! I am from Indiana and have only seen cotton fields a few times. The last time being a couple months ago in South Carolina! It is so strange for me to see fields that look like that!! We might be moving to South Carolina and I am excited to see these fields more often!

  53. Debbie

    Thanks for sharing! I live in Oklahoma and we have a few cotton fields here too. It is breathtaking when all of a sudden you see a field “snow covered” in the Fall!! I have to share a funny story I always think of when the cotton is in full bloom. In high school a very girlie girl told us she asked her boyfriend if she could have some of his fathers cotton to use for a school project in home economics. He asked her how many bolls she wanted and she said “Oh, I don’t need a whole bowl full just one or two is fine.” -us country girls laughed pretty hard at that one!

  54. Mary

    Thank you for the photos of the cotton fields. Never have I see anything like this in my whole life. I just can’t get over it. What an awesome God we have!!! WOW!

  55. Liz (Little Bitty Bakes)

    Gosh, these pictures are so surreal! I always think of cotton balls as being so manufactured and mysterious, but this simplifies it so much. So pretty!

  56. Southern Gal

    Gorgeous. You take me back to my childhood. We would drive to my grandparents’ home almost every weekend. It was a 45 mile trek with cotton fields all over the place. I have to admit my sister and I would complain every time we smelled that chemical they used to put on the plants before harvesting. ;) That was in the late 60’s, early 70’s.

  57. Suzanna Bird @fancycowdecor

    It looks like winter and autumn at the same time as the cotton appears to look like snow but then there are the lovely autumn trees around it. Really beautiful, thanks for sharing.

  58. Kelly

    Thanks for posting the photos of the beautiful cotton fields. Being from “up north” originally and now an expat living in London, I have never seen cotton fields. Your photos were beautiful – perfect time day with the blue sky, sun and wonderful color in the background! Will now forward this off to my kids to enjoy!

  59. Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga

    Amanda such beautiful pics….wow! The contrast with the white/blue, the crispness of the sky, the clarity in your pics; the delicateness of the cotton that you captured…I think the cotton industry should be hiring you with these pics :)

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Kevin and Amanda

We love to travel and to eat! Here we share our favorite quick and easy recipes, plus travel tips and guides for our favorite places around the world. If you have any questions about what camera I use or how I edit my photos, check out my photography tutorials.

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