Enjoy the vibrancy of the season in our new column on mindful walks
NOTICING
In early spring, the branches of riverside trees fill with catkins, flaring brightly in the low sunlight. These are the soft and delicate fruiting bodies of the goat willow (Salix caprea), which provide vital food for bees and other pollinators.
Goat willows produce either male or female catkins. The grey-blue male catkins are said to resemble a cat’s paw, hence the alternative name of pussy willow, and turn golden-yellow as they ripen. Once pollinated by the wind, the green female catkins turn white and fluffy and float from the branches like snowflakes on a spring breeze.
Goat willow is widespread in the UK. Look for them on damp ground, and usually in open spaces rather than dense woodland. The tree grows to a height of 10 metres and its leaves are oval, unlike the long, slender shape typical of other willow species. As the name suggests, goat willow was once used to feed goats, while the leaves provide food for several moth species and caterpillars of the purple emperor butterfly.
Pussy willow
Once pollinated, these female catkins will turn into woolly seeds
The velvety catkins of goat willow appear this month, before its fresh spring leaves.
Baby blackbirds
You may spy the first baby blackbirds over the Easter break.
At around 14 days old, these tiny brown dollops are still begging, with a yellow gape, but they are fully feathered, and already ¾ of their adult weight.
It may take them a few week
