when nature helps you see the forest for one new tree. A photographic exploration of willow trees in the Maine forest, including Black Willow and Pussy Willow.
I'll bet many of us have nostalgic memories of a particular weeping willow; I sure do! I once thought it was the only type of willow. At 18, I enrolled in forestry school in upstate New York. It was in a Dendrology class that I learned that the willow is the one genre I was guaranteed to get lost in attempting to identify! The instructor would say, "If you've tried everything and you're still not sure, it's probably a willow."
Thanks so much, Don! Me, too - weeping willows were the only willows I knew growing up in Texas. Always fascinating how much is waiting to be discovered once you scratch the surface.
We Persians love Pussy Willows because we pick the yellow buds and serve them with tea (When we pour the teas, we just drop these in the cup. They'll taste awful if they're boiled with tea).
Truly love the shots of the Black Willow 'cobs' and happy bees! Oh my, what a pretty Pussy Willow you have. So fun that it decided to play peek-a-boo with you while hiding in plain sight until now! Your forest sounds such a treasure with all of it's variety. I can only imagine all of the other flora and fauna that live there. Thank you for sharing all of this 'magic' here!
Thanks so much, Sandy! It's definitely layer-upon-layer, with all the mosses, lichens, ferns, and so many often-unseen inhabitants. It's always an invitation for me to take a moment to drink it all in as life is always tugging to stay busy :)
Hope you found time to catch some of Cory Booker's 25+ hours on the Senate floor yesterday. He did my heart so much good! To hear the truth finally being spoken and with so much love for our people. Loved it! The win in Wisconsin was absolutely icing on the cake of a terrific day. Hope you will have people to be with on Saturday to share April 5th's Day of Protest. It is looking like people are getting the word that we need to speak up. No reason, we can't have a little fun while we are at it. :-)
I absolutely did! I was checking in on him all day. It was so energizing and inspiring. Finally some good news! I think there will be a good crowd in Augusta, I’m really looking forward to it :)
Thank you, Sandy! I meant "Augusta" lol, I fixed it. We'll be at the state capitol in Augusta this Saturday, and we're hoping it's a big turnout! I'll be keeping an eye on the numbers in DC, too - I hope they get 1 million!💙
Oh Good! I will be at Olympia, WA, too! Seems a good bit of energy and talk about it across the country! :-) I'll be keeping Cory's words and spirit and determination in mind!
I'll bet many of us have nostalgic memories of a particular weeping willow; I sure do! I once thought it was the only type of willow. At 18, I enrolled in forestry school in upstate New York. It was in a Dendrology class that I learned that the willow is the one genre I was guaranteed to get lost in attempting to identify! The instructor would say, "If you've tried everything and you're still not sure, it's probably a willow."
Beautiful article, Sydney!
Thanks so much, Don! Me, too - weeping willows were the only willows I knew growing up in Texas. Always fascinating how much is waiting to be discovered once you scratch the surface.
So wonderful! Your writing and photography made my heart sing and want to run out with my camera again and take photos of small but mighty things.
Thanks so much, Nicole! Small but mighty things are my favorite! :)
I'm lucky. There are quite a few "weeping" willows around here.
Weeping willows are so beautiful!
What a dreamy ode to the willow and what emerges when we clear the entanglements from our hearts and land.
Thank you, Scot, what dreamy imagery!
Great description and photos of the Black Willow! It really does look like corncobs that transform into "pollen-y pom-poms!"
Thanks so much, Sarah! lol, it's sounds funny reading it back like that!
Happy sigh. Lovely!
You're welcome😉
We Persians love Pussy Willows because we pick the yellow buds and serve them with tea (When we pour the teas, we just drop these in the cup. They'll taste awful if they're boiled with tea).
Thanks so much for sharing this, I had no idea!
Plants are amazing, trees especially. Thanks for introducing us to your new fuzzy friend.
My pleasure, Noel!
So beautiful! Your photos make them come alive! Also made me a bit nostalgic - missing the willow trees of my childhood ...
Thank you so much, Emese-Réka! One of my favorite things about nature photos is their ability to stir those memories of connection 💕
Beautiful! I can’t NOT smile when I see the buds of a pussy willow!
Thanks, Kimberly! I agree, they’re just irresistibly cute. Why does my tree have cotton-tails like a bunny? 🤣
Beautiful ❤️
Thank you, Susan!
I like those images of the willow buds that look like tiny corn cobs - very interesting!
Thanks so much, Neil!
Truly love the shots of the Black Willow 'cobs' and happy bees! Oh my, what a pretty Pussy Willow you have. So fun that it decided to play peek-a-boo with you while hiding in plain sight until now! Your forest sounds such a treasure with all of it's variety. I can only imagine all of the other flora and fauna that live there. Thank you for sharing all of this 'magic' here!
Thanks so much, Sandy! It's definitely layer-upon-layer, with all the mosses, lichens, ferns, and so many often-unseen inhabitants. It's always an invitation for me to take a moment to drink it all in as life is always tugging to stay busy :)
Hope you found time to catch some of Cory Booker's 25+ hours on the Senate floor yesterday. He did my heart so much good! To hear the truth finally being spoken and with so much love for our people. Loved it! The win in Wisconsin was absolutely icing on the cake of a terrific day. Hope you will have people to be with on Saturday to share April 5th's Day of Protest. It is looking like people are getting the word that we need to speak up. No reason, we can't have a little fun while we are at it. :-)
I absolutely did! I was checking in on him all day. It was so energizing and inspiring. Finally some good news! I think there will be a good crowd in Augusta, I’m really looking forward to it :)
This Saturday is BIG too! Here's a link with a map to find places near you.
https://www.mobilize.us/handsoff/map/
Check out the rest of the site for more details.
Thank you, Sandy! I meant "Augusta" lol, I fixed it. We'll be at the state capitol in Augusta this Saturday, and we're hoping it's a big turnout! I'll be keeping an eye on the numbers in DC, too - I hope they get 1 million!💙
Oh Good! I will be at Olympia, WA, too! Seems a good bit of energy and talk about it across the country! :-) I'll be keeping Cory's words and spirit and determination in mind!
These are so rare here.
Thank you for the beautiful reminder of the magic of the pussy willow in my mom’s garden. 💓
You're most welcome, Jacqueline, always warms my heart to hear about a special nature connection!