Forest Fridays: Willow world
- by Guest Contributor
- April 19, 2024
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By Ryan Reed, Forest Fridays
My first memory of a willow tree is the pussy willow that existed between the garage and our dog’s house on the property of my childhood home. I vividly remember stopping to admire its velvety catkins each spring. A few miles away into town, a local streambank is still lined with weeping willows. I can remember how they first caught my eye, their cascading foliage swaying gracefully in the wind.
Photo: Sandbar willow. Paul Wray, Iowa State University, Bugwood.org
My childhood memories of willows are reflective of the present status of the genus in Pennsylvania, with many representatives of both the native and non-native types (pussy willows are native and weeping are non-native). Examples of willows native to PA include the black willow, which takes the form of a standard, large growing tree, and more shrubby types like sandbar, Bebb’s, and coastal plain willows. Non-natives commonly found in PA are white, basket, and crack willows. Many willow species readily hybridize, complicating identification, which is probably why my dendrology professor only required ID of some specimens to the genus level (i.e. “Salix sp.”).
Willows (of the genus, Salix) are amazingly widespread, with an estimated 300 to 400 species worldwide. About one hundred are native to N. America, making them an important component of our natural heritage. They typically exhibit lanceolate (long, thin, tapering) leaves, bright green and flexible to brittle stems, and an affinity for wet environments where they can form dense thickets. Their prodigious root systems make fantastic additions to riparian zones, trapping and stabilizing streamside soils.
Mankind has made use of willows, weaving their long, flexible stems into baskets, and by chewing bark to release salicylic acid, the active compound in aspirin. In addition to these uses, Native Americans are known to have used willow stems for making chairs, dream catchers, and dolls.
Willows are ecologically important for more than their riparian utility. Dr. Douglas Tallamy cites willows as “top three” importance for butterflies like the viceroy and mourning cloak, in addition to benefitting moths and bumblebees (PSU Extension). Watching my daughter stop on her way in from the bus to touch the willows, smiling at the feeling of their velvety texture, makes me realize how many lives have been touched by their branches.
About the Author: Ryan Reed
Ryan Reed is a Natural Resource Program Specialist in the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry. He possesses degrees in Wildlife and Fisheries Science and Wildlife Technology, while currently pursuing a master’s degree in Environmental Pollution Control. He has also worked for the Pennsylvania Game Commission, and taught high school sciences for 11 years. He is especially interested in biodiversity and ecology. A lifelong hunting and fishing enthusiast, Ryan resides in Annville, PA.
