If today’s warm, sunny weather doesn’t convince you that spring is finally here, look no further than the emergence of silky pearly grey pussy willow buds – a sure sign of spring. Pussy willows (Salix discolor) are a dioecious species (male and female catkins appearing on separate trees). Although it’s these soft fuzzy grey incipient catkins that most people recognize, only the male trees produce these “cat paw”-like catkins that give the species its common name. Also, even these male catkins only resemble cat’s paws for a short period of time. Within a couple weeks, they will mature and transition to an explosion of long yellow pollen-bearing stamens. Less obvious smaller green catkins are produced by the female pussy willows.

Salix discolor is native from Nova Scotia to British Columbia and south to Maryland. Pussy willows are often found growing in moist to wet soils in meadows, swamps and along lakes and streams, but also will be found in some drier conditions. Although pussy willows most commonly grow as a large multi-stemmed shrub (up to 15’ tall), they can also take on the form of a full sized tree, extending up to 30’ tall. The pussy willow that produced the catkins in the photographs was indeed growing along a pond edge (Crocker Pond in Falmouth). It was also one of the larger pussy willows I’ve seen, but unfortunately with the soft saturated soil, and the high winds produced through this month’s nor’easters, the entire tree had fallen and was lying on its side. It has been hard to see hundreds of trees, big and small, felled by the recent storms, but perhaps this tree, still largely in tact with a portion of its roots still in the ground will be able to survive. Its current production of these fuzzy catkins certainly indicates potential.