Sunday, March 22, 2015

March 18 Willow Catkins Exploding

Some of the first trees are now starting to swell their catkins and grow flowers as they come out of dormancy. These pussy willow male catkins and furry and fuzzy, getting progressively larger until the yellow stamens, which house the pollen, emerge through the fuzz. Look in the coming weeks for this beautiful yellow color to come through. Pussy willows rely on insects to move the pollen to the female flowers, which should also be popping out in the next few weeks.  This tree is in the Arboretum, and many more are starting to show along the road and near the lakes. The first day I was aware that willows were active was March 12.

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