There are some willow catkins popping out in Turtle Mountain. No doubt they are also out in other parts of the state. Willows are members of the Salicaceae or willow family. In addition to the willows the family also includes cottonwoods, aspen, and balsam poplar.
We have over a dozen species of willows in the state, including some introductions. Most are shrubs, but a couple are trees, such peachleaf willow (Salix amygdaloides) and yellowstem white willow (Salix alba var. vitellina) which is often quite prominent in shelterbelts. Look for those distinctively golden yellow to orange twigs. There is no mistaking those willows.
The catkins on willows are the flowers, of course. Willows are wind pollinated, so no showy flowers here. And it is the male flowers that produce the white fluffy material that catches our attention and ends up in spring arrangements.
You may notice that some willows don’t seem to produce those white fluffy catkins. That is because they are female plants. Willows are dioecious, meaning they have separate male and female plants. It is the same for cottonwood. And of course, it is the female trees that release all that light cottony fluff which is attached to a small seed
But it is the pussy willow that seems to get all the attention. When I see them in the spring I always seem to think of that first line from a Gordon Lightfoot song from many years go. Some of you certainly remember it, “Pussywillows, cattails, soft winds, and roses.” But I haven’t seen much evidence of soft winds or roses yet.
Pussy willow, or is a native, multi-stemmed shrub or small tree with reddish-brown to dark brown twigs. It can grow to a height of perhaps fifteen feet or more. Its native range is roughly north of a line from the Northwest Territories and British Columbia to South Carolina. And it can be found across our state, but more frequently north and east of the Missouri River. As with most other willows the pussy willow likes to have its feet wet, so look for it low on the landscape such as stream banks, marshy areas, and near the margins of lakes, ponds, and sloughs.
Spring arrangements with pussy willows used to be a common sight in homes. Not so much these days. But if you are starting to wax nostalgia and in need of a new spring arraignment, consider some pussy willows.
-Chuck Lura
