Pussy willows are among the first woody plants to express signs of life after a long Montana winter. They’ve got a quiet kind of magic about them, and they don’t wait for warmth or permission to begin growing for the season. Pussy willows will produce their fuzzy catkins—those soft, silvery-gray buds they are known for—even when snow still blankets the ground. Catkins are actually flower clusters, and they’re designed to brave late-season frosts.
Pussy willows love to keep their feet
wet, making them perfectly at home along Montana's mountain streams,
floodplains, and beaver ponds. They’re adapted to waterlogged soils and even
tolerate seasonal flooding. Their roots help stabilize stream banks, earning
them the title of “nature’s sandbags.”
Sex is not a problem for pussy
willows, since they are dioecious—meaning each plant is either male or female.
The fluffy catkins are usually male, are covered in soft hairs and pollen.
Female catkins are more slender and less showy, but will develop seeds in tiny
capsules once pollinated.
On an Easter Sunday excursion to the
cabin, Desiree and I found our streamside willows on full display. I spent
several minutes poking around along the creek, admiring them. They’re our first
invitation to overnight at the cabin. For early-emerging pollinators, they're
about the only game in town.
—Mitchell Hegman
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